MoD 1: Stranger in My Skin
by Alexandria-likethecityinEgypt
Summary: Just ask the cat! Curiosity comes with consequences. Although it's Wally's curiosity, it's Robin who pays the consequences. Thankfully, these consequences are temporary. Lots of humor. This is the first in a series of three separate stories: each one a remake of the results that stem from a single event. Original Team.
1. Machine O' Doom - Prologue

**This story came about when I just sat down, with no ideas in mind, and started typing. At the end of this little piece, I thought "Hm, so what happens next? What does the Machine O' Doom actually do?" Using some friends on here as a sounding board, we came up with so many great ideas that I decided to do this: I will use THIS chapter as the beginning to THREE SEPARATE STORIES! Each story will start with this chapter (with maybe a tweak), and then at the second chapter veer off into something original. In each story, the Machine O' Doom will do something different. One I plan as humorous (and exciting), another will be tragic (and exciting), and the third will be adventurous (and exciting) . . . These were meant to be short stories but since I apparently have no idea how to keep a story actually short, just enjoy it. **

**Here is the beginning of the first story . . . It is the funny one.**

**Warning: Language (just like one little word)**

* * *

Wally West stood staring at the machine that sat in the middle of the evil scientists' laboratory curiously. Was this why they had been sent here? As usual the covert mission the team had been sent on had ended with an all-out battle. Really, he didn't even know why they bothered trying to be sneaky. It never seemed to work out that way. At least not for him.

"KF?" Robin's frustrated voice called out from the office on one side of the lab. "I haven't found anything on the files that Batman wanted us to look for. I think they knew that we were coming and wiped the hard drives of everything having to do with the Red Sun Radiation Laser. I've checked every computer on this floor and the mainframe, but there is nothing here."

_Oh yeah_, Wally thought. _The laser was supposed to strip the powers of Superman for hours or was it a couple of days? Whatever it was, it was bad news!_ It was also why Superboy was told to sit out this mission. Connor was hating life back at the cave at the moment, and Wally knew that tomorrow they would be having to replace all of the punching bags the cave held.

"Well, then, what's _this_ thing? I mean, if the bad guys are building it, you can pretty much consider it a sure thing that it isn't the answer to world hunger. If we can't get the Red Sun Laser thing, maybe we can figure this thing out." Wally suggested.

It looked like a laser. A really big one, or maybe some kind of gun. It had an end that looked like it meant business after all.

Robin frowned at him. "Sorry, KF. I know you're curious, but that's not our mission. Stay focused, dude. Not finding the Red Sun Laser or any of its research is a bad thing; especially for Superman and Superboy!"

Wally nodded absently, but couldn't pull his eyes from the machine in front of him. He had been studying it for a while and thought he figured out how to turn it on. He pressed the switch and the machine hummed to life. _Whoa_! _That was awesome_!

"Wally," Robin hissed. "Seriously, dude. Turn it _off_!"

"It'd be nice if the mission wasn't a complete failure, you know?" he said. "And how do you know that this thing isn't the Red Sun doohickey?"

Robin shot him a look. "Doohickey? Really? I thought you knew something about science."

Wally shrugged. "I didn't want to confuse you with all the technical terms. And I _am_ being serious. This thing could be bad news! We should figure it out and maybe dismantle it, or something."

"If it is bad news, wouldn't it be a bad thing to turn it on when you have no idea whether or not it might create earthquakes or possibly burn off our atmosphere?"

Wally glanced at the Boy Wonder for the first time since spotting his current obsession. "You may have a point there, Rob. Okay, shutting it down now."

"Good," Robin glanced over toward the wall of windows opposite of where he was standing and saw a small, silver laptop sitting next to a silver briefcase on the counters that ran along the wall. "Hey, how'd we miss _that_," he asked as he moved between two laboratory work benches to reach it; inadvertently crossing in front of the Wally's machine o' doom.

At that moment, Wally touched the switch that he had decided turned the machine off, but instead of shutting down, the complicated device emitted a high-pitched whine and suddenly a burst of white energy shot forth. It blinded him for a second, and he had to fumble around for the switch that had been his second choice. After a moment, the light disappeared and Wally was blinking hard to rid his vision of dark spots.

"Ah, man, that was intense!" Wally crowed.

"_Robin, Kid Flash! What was that light? We could see it from out here_," Aqualad's voice sounded in his head. "_Are you both all right_?"

"_Yeah, no problems. Everything's under control up here and we're fine. Right, Rob_?" Wally sent down via Martian mind-meld. "_Right, Rob? . . . Uh, Rob_?"

"Robin?" he called out.

By now the spots had cleared enough to see that Wally was alone in the lab. Normally, that wouldn't be a concern because the little ninja-bird was constantly pulling a Batman and disappearing on him, but they were on a mission and connected via M'gann's telepathic link. There's no way that Robin wouldn't hear the question no matter where he was in the building, and no way he wouldn't answer a question put to him. Rob was the ultimate professional when out.

Wally wracked his brain to remember where Rob had been standing in the room when he had accidentally activated the unknown machine. Um, halfway between the office and where he stood next to the machine, but he had been off to the side, not directly in front of it.

But if that was the case, then where was he? Wally knew perfectly well that Robin wouldn't pull a prank during a mission!

"_Robin, are you all right_," Aqualad asked the bird via the mind link. "_Robin, answer_! _Kid Flash, where is he_?"

Panic started to rise up inside of him. "_I-I don't know! He was just here a moment ago_!"

"_Kid Flash, what did you do? What was that light that flashed just a moment ago_?" Aqualad did not sound amused. And Wally had to admit, he didn't exactly feel like laughing either.

Wally zipped over to where he last saw Rob standing between two of the lab's work benches. He stopped and stared.

_Oh, shit_!

* * *

**Reactions? Opinions? Comments? It doesn't matter if you are just discovering this story; leave me a note once in a while. Let me know when you particularly like a chapter; if it made you laugh out loud - You'll make my day!**

**I just posted a cover photo for this story. It is called a Gatling Gun Laser, and it is a REAL device created by Patrick Priebe who owns the website "Laser Gadgets". Google it! He will make you your very own laser device! Seriously! I'm so going to get one of his inventions.**


	2. Stranger in My Skin pt 1

**This is the first chapter of "Machine O' Doom: Stranger in My Skin". **

**No Warnings**

* * *

"Rob? Are you all right?" Kid Flash bent down next to where his best friend lay.

Robin pushed himself up on his hands. "Ugh! Did you catch the plates on that bus that hit me?"

Wally vibrated nervously, feeling the guilt over being that bus. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. I pressed the wrong 'off' switch. I didn't realize that you had moved in front of the machine until afterwards. Dude, that was so dangerous! You should have waited until it was off before crossing its path."

Robin held his head in his hand for a moment. "I was focused on the mission. Saw a laptop that I had missed earlier and wanted to check it out. Don't worry, KF. It was totally my fault."

"Dude! I shouldn't have been messing with a strange machine in the middle of a mission," Wally admitted. "You were right."

Robin pushed himself off of his knees and into a sitting position on the floor; leaning back against the work bench. "So, did you figure out what the machine does?"

Wally looked at his friend and blinked. "Uh, no," he said, distractedly. "You know, Rob, I never noticed before how high your cheekbones are."

Robin laughed. "Yeah, way to stay focused there, KF!"

"Kid Flash! Are you here? Did you find Robin?" Kaldur's voice rang out from the doorway.

Wally winced. "Ah, man, I am so dead over this," he whispered; then waved a hand so that Aqualad would see him from where he was standing. "Over here," he called out louder. "Rob's okay! He's over here."

A second later, Kaldur'ahm was kneeling next to Robin. "What happened?" The tone of Aqualad's voice booked no room for joking.

"I-uh, I turned that machine on," Wally winced again, throwing a thumb up in the direction of the bad laser from hell. "And accidentally hit Robin with the beam."

Aqualad shot Wally an angry frown before turning to Robin. "Are you all right, Robin? Are you injured?"

Robin smiled and waved Kaldur's concern off. Wally was going to get into enough trouble as it was; he didn't want to compound it by complaining. Besides, all in all, he didn't feel that bad. He had a huge headache, and his chest hurt some; and his lower abdomen ached, but it wasn't anything he couldn't live with.

"I'm good. Just a headache," he said.

Kaldur didn't look convinced. "Can you stand?"

Robin frowned at the question. He didn't know, but he didn't feel like it should be an issue. "Only one way to find out," he chirped brightly. He held his hands out to each of his teammates.

Kaldur and Wally each grabbed a hand and pulled Robin to his feet. Robin swayed, but remained upright. _Oh, yeah_, he thought. _I got this_.

"Were you able to get anything from the scientists," Robin asked.

Kaldur shook his head. "M'gann swept them, but all of them appear to be technicians as opposed to the actual scientists. We apparently missed them by a mere fifteen minutes. I am not looking forward to debriefing Batman about our failure," he glanced at Wally, "or our ignorance."

Wally cringed. Batman was going to kill him dead . . .

Kaldur tilted his head as he contemplated the team's youngest member. "Robin, are you sure you are fine? Did you hit your face when you fell?"

Robin blinked at that cryptic question. "Uh, I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

Kaldur frowned and touched his own lips. "Your mouth . . . It seems swollen. It does not appear to be bruised, however."

Wally leaned closer and squinted. "Hey, yeah! It does!" He poked a finger into Robin's lower lip.

"Hey! Watch it!" Robin complained.

"Did that hurt?" Wally asked.

"No, but stop touching me," Robin groused. "I said I was all right."

"Actually, my friend, you said you had a headache," Kaldur clarified.

Robin rolled his eyes; not that anyone could see it behind the mask's lenses. He changed the subject. "I spotted one last laptop over there on the counter by the window. I was on my way to check it out when Kid Catastrophe blasted me with his laser beam."

"Hey! I said I was sorry!"

Robin slapped a palm onto Wally's shoulder. "I know. And I said that it's okay; no harm done."

Wally frowned at the machine in question. "We still don't know what it does. As nothing but a giant headache-maker, it's kind of lame as far as super evil machines of destruction go."

Robin laughed. "Let it go, KF," he said. "Aqualad, give me a minute to check out the laptop before we declare the mission a total disaster, 'kay? It might have something that saves the day."

As it turned out, the laptop did save the mission. Its hard drive contained the schematics for the Red Sun Laser, and had a list of three other locations that could possibly hold the weapon's prototype. The briefcase also contained a USB drive that Robin pocketed for future investigation.

They collected the rest of the team and climbed aboard the bioship. The trip back to the mountain only took forty minutes at top speed, but Robin fell asleep less than five minutes out. Both Aqualad and Kid Flash watched him worriedly. It appeared that the white energy blast that hit the boy had also sapped his strength.

* * *

**Reactions? Opinions? Comments?**


	3. Stranger in My Skin pt 2

**Warnings: Some Language . . .**

* * *

Batman had not been amused by the debriefing. He was furious, in fact, with Kid Flash's actions. He endangered the mission, but what's more, he endangered his teammate, and while it shouldn't matter which teammate it had been, it did. He could feel his anger bubbling under the surface, and chose to end the session early. He sent everyone either to bed or to their homes because he didn't trust himself to react with temperance. Besides, he was anxious to get Robin back to the Batcave, and check him out more thoroughly to be certain that the energy beam hadn't done permanent or serious damage that might lay beneath the surface; hidden from a cursory inspection.

Initial finding seemed to prove that the beam had been relatively harmless. Bruce could only find subtle fluctuations in his blood chemistry, but nothing alarming. Dick told him about the aches, but x-rays revealed nothing out of the ordinary. He would continue to monitor Dick over the next week, but he sighed heavily with relief. He felt lucky in that they had dodged the bullet, but was cognizant that it had parted Dick's hair. It had been far too close for comfort.

"How's the headache," Bruce asked as he followed Dick upstairs.

"Still there, but no worse," Dick told him.

"Do you need something stronger for the pain?"

Dick shrugged. "No," he said. "It'll be all right. I can sleep it off. Good night."

Bruce laid his hand on Dick's shoulder as the boy faced him briefly before turning to go into his room. He smiled, and suddenly noted again how startling Dick's eyes seemed; that amazing cerulean blue surrounded by thick, dark lashes. He never noticed before how long the boy's lashes were before that moment.

He smirked, knowing that Dick would be offended to discover just how 'pretty' he actually looked. It was bad enough that the boy was still smaller than the average thirteen year old; he didn't want to damage that fragile, teenage self-esteem by making reference to the slight femininity of the boy's features; a femininity that he hadn't been aware of before. Bruce walked to his room, hoping that Dick's growth spurt would hit soon. It wasn't such an issue yet, but it would be in a year or so.

Dick would never be a big man. Bruce remembered his father had been perhaps five foot nine inches; a little tall for an acrobat, not that it affected his act adversely. The Graysons had been billed the top trapeze artists in the world at the time of their deaths. He wasn't sure if men in Mary Grayson's family were tall; that hadn't been Bruce's priority when he researched the Lloyd family when he first contemplated taking Dick in. No, Dick would never come close to Bruce's own powerful, six foot two inch frame.

Despite the differences in body type, he was often amazed at how remarkably alike they appeared. Occasionally, Bruce had the opportunity to introduce Dick to out of town business acquaintances that were unaware of Dick's backstory. They often mistook Dick for his biological son. Bruce never openly acknowledged about how pleased he was about that confusion. Sometimes, he would even allow the misunderstanding to remain without bothering to correct it; particularly now that he had officially adopted the boy as his son in reality.

Bruce went to bed pleased and grateful that another night and another mission had passed without fate stripping away his newfound family. He was almost content; as close to happiness as he had ever been since the night his parents died, and that was due entirely to the boy asleep in the room next to his. His son. His boy.

* * *

Dick didn't sleep well. The dreams came fast and furious; one right after the other. He would awake drenched in sweat, aching throughout his body, with the images hovering just beyond his awareness. Before he could attempt to retrieve them and study them, however, they would flit away and he would fall back into another fitful, dream-laden sleep.

The morning came too soon, and yet, he noticed the sunlight wasn't that of dawn, but of mid-morning. How late had Alfred let him sleep? Dick rolled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Despite how long he slept, his sleep hadn't been restful, and he was still tired. Worse, his headache remained.

He lifted the seat to the toilet, tugged the front of his boxers down a bit and reached in . . . and froze. He frowned.

_What_?

He glanced down to a soft, smooth belly and . . .

_What the hell_?

He gasped. Was he still dreaming? Was this some kind of nightmare?

He bent over and yanked his boxers down to his ankles, and paused. Blinking, he was temporarily distracted as he stared at legs that were more shapely than muscular. His attention immediately reverted back to his search, even more desperate than before. _Oh, my God_ . . .

_It wasn't __**there**_!

Panicked, Dick turned around and spotted the stranger in his bathroom. She was really kind of pretty with black hair cut into a kind of pixie cut; large, cerulean-blue eyes surrounded by long, dark lashes; high cheekbones; pert nose; a wide, shapely mouth, and an somewhat-arrogant chin in an oval-shaped face. She was slender and tone. Dick suspected that she worked out; pegging her as a gymnast like himself.

But who was she? Why was she here?

He glanced behind him, but there was no one there. He suddenly realized that he was alone in the bathroom and the girl staring back at him was standing in his mirror. He scowled and she glared back. He took a step forward and she followed suit, her stance aggressive. He swiveled around, but no girl appeared. It wasn't until he was slowly turning back around that he realized that the girl was imitating his every move . . . Far too perfectly for it to be accidental.

Fear coursed through him as he raised a hand slowly to his face. The girl did the same simultaneously. He gulped, and so did she. She was small breasted, he noted. He lifted his hands to his chest as did she. His hands found, not a thin, but muscular chest of a thirteen year old boy, but . . . His eyes grew larger and his mouth dropped open. The girl in the mirror looked terrified as she cupped herself. He glanced down at his blue t-shirt; one much like the one the girl was wearing. He pulled out the neck and peeked down beneath the material.

Dick started hyperventilating and the bathroom spun around him. His hand slapped the wall and he slid down to sit on the cold tile.

_No_! This couldn't be happening . . . But it was!

Unable to accept what his senses were telling him, he screamed for Bruce . . . _Like a _**_girl_**!

* * *

**Reactions? Opinions? Comments?**

**There is more to the story . . . **


	4. Stranger in My Skin pt 3

**Warning: Small Bit of Language . . .**

* * *

Bruce stepped out of the shower, rubbing the water out of his hair. He had showered last night, but sometimes he just needed the water to wake him up. Last night, he hadn't slept well worrying over the accident that could have so easily taken his son from him. He was calmer now, and he needed to come up with a way to impress onto Kid Flash the importance of remaining focused on the mission and not playing with strange devices in evil scientists' laboratories.

He tucked his towel around his hips as he moved to the mirror to shave and finish up his morning ritual. Afterwards he moved into his closet. It was as large as a small bedroom by itself. To one side hung his business suits, on the short wall straight ahead of him were casual clothing. The last wall contained several tuxes, a shelving unit full of shoes, drawers that contained his small clothes and socks as well as the top drawer being filled to the brim with cufflinks, watches, and tie clips. It was followed by more shelves with undershirts, t-shirts, and both sweats and shorts.

Bruce had just pulled on clothes suitable to work out in when a high-pitched scream ripped the air around him. He was running before it registered that the scream was feminine.

_What the hell_? There were not supposed to be any females currently in the manor.

The scream had sounded close by, and as Bruce had barreled into the hallway, he glanced at Dick's door. His son had only recently become interested in girls, but was still in the 'appreciate them from afar' stage. He had no girlfriends that Bruce was aware of, but that scream couldn't have come from any place other than Dick's bedroom!

"**_Bru-u-uce_**!"

He didn't recognize the voice, but it confirmed his suspicions of the girl's location. He burst through the door. His eyes skimmed the empty bed with its covers hanging off of the mattress and onto the floor. He could hear the girl's panicked gasps coming from the bathroom. He stormed over and shoved the door out of his way.

He had never seen her before, although he was certain she was familiar, he thought. She was staring at him in fear; tears hovering on dark lashes. He glanced around for his son. Whatever he was doing was not simply irresponsible but unforgivable! Sneaking a girl into his room was bad enough, but what had he done to her to make her so frightened? And why was she wearing his son's clothes?

Dick was so grounded for this!

He approached carefully and knelt in front of her, just a few feet away.

"It's going to be all right, miss . . ."

His attempt to soothe the girl was interrupted when she flung herself into his arms.

"Bruce! What's happening to me," she wailed.

Startled, he knelt on the floor with his arms out at his sides while she practically strangled the life out of him. He wondered at her temerity at calling him by his given name, but put that aside in favor of trying to calm her down.

"If you calm yourself, try to relax, I'm certain we can get you help . . ."

"Sir!" Alfred burst into the small room next. "I heard screams . . . Oh, I beg your pardon. Who is this young miss and where, might I ask, is Master Dick?"

"That's a good question, Alfred," Bruce growled.

"It's me," the girl said, easing away from Bruce; wiping her eyes with the back of one hand. "I'm right here!"

"Um, yes, I can see that," Bruce soothed, although he didn't see much of anything. Where _was_ Dick? "I take it you are friends with my son. Can you tell us your name and who your parents are? I can give them a call and . . ."

"Bruce," she glared at him on her knees, her hands planted on her hips. "It's **_ME_**! I'm Dick!"

Bruce goggled. Had she hit her head? He glanced back at Alfred worriedly. The butler was staring at the girl in wonder.

"Bruce," she huffed. "Look, my name is Richard John Grayson, and my parents were John and Mary Grayson. They were trapeze artists who died when Tony Zucco put acid on the wires. You took me in because you also lost your parents to a criminal named Joe Chill."

He blinked. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that she learned all of that from Dick himself, although he hadn't thought the boy would share such intimate details of their lives.

"You don't believe me," the girl whispered. She stood up, swaying slightly. She put her hand on the counter to steady herself and look despairingly in the mirror. "Not that I blame you. I wouldn't believe me either, but it's true, Bruce! I swear to you that it's true. I'm Dick Grayson!"

Obviously worried now, Bruce climbed to his feet as well.

"The boy that you were with," he said cautiously. "Do you know where he went?"

She looked up at him, determination settling over her features. "I can prove it's me," she told him. "Who else but Dick Grayson knows that you are Batman?"

"Dear Lord," Alfred came in and laid a hand across her brow. "She must be feverish."

Bruce was frowning now.

She pulled away. "Alfred, it's me! I am Dick Grayson! I am Batman's partner, Robin! I broke that Chinese vase in the conservatory last week because I broke the rules about tumbling in the house."

"You broke the vase?" Alfred repeated slowly.

She lowered her eyes in shame. "Yes, and in a moment of panic, I hid the pieces behind the potted palm. I'm sorry, Alfred! Sometimes the urge to move just kind of whelms me, and I just do it."

Alfred's eyes widened, and he threw a startled glance at Bruce and then looked back at the young girl. "Dear Lord! Master Dick! What happened to you?"

"I'm not sure," she looked between the two men. "But I think it had something to do with that laser Wally accidentally shot me with while on the mission yesterday."

Bruce's paled. "**_Dick_**?!"

* * *

**Reactions? **


	5. Stranger in My Skin pt 4

**No Warnings . . .**

* * *

Dick tugged on the oversized sweatshirt, yanking it down over his butt. He had refused to allow Alfred to purchase him clothing that fit his new . . . form better. He wasn't going to be like this for long. Batman was going to figure this out and he would be a boy again by patrol. But in the meantime, he was feeling a little self-conscious. His hips were too wide, his butt and thighs were too big, and yet his jeans gaped a bit around his waistline. Even his sweatshirt hadn't felt right, so he had borrowed one of Bruce's.

The only good thing he discovered about his transformation was the extra inch in height he had gained. He wondered if he would be able to keep the inch when he was changed back.

"Stop fidgeting," Batman whispered to him as they were announced as Batman and guest. The Zeta-tube no longer recognized him as Robin, the Boy Wonder.

"I can't help it," he hissed back. He looked over his shoulder. "Do my jeans make my butt look big?"

He might not have been able to see Bruce's eye behind the lenses, but he felt the eye roll as if it were a physical sensation. He glared at his father. Was his lips quirking up into a smile? Well, whatever constituted a smile for Batman . . . It was close, however.

"You should have accepted Alfred's offer to go out and buy you some new clothes," was Batman's unsympathetic reply.

"I've had enough changes to last a lifetime, thank you. I don't want to wear girl jeans," Dick groused, pushing up his sunglasses.

At least his hair had remained the same, even if it looked different on him, now. Alfred had told him it resembled a pixie cut; a popular, short, hairstyle for young women, although how the sixty year old butler knew about women's fashion, Dick didn't want to know. He just accepted it . . . Google, Dick was certain, was the digitized version of the all-knowing, all-seeing butler.

"I wish I could have worn my uniform, though," he muttered.

"I thought you didn't want your . . . changes to be so noticeable? Your uniform would have fit even less well than your jeans and would have left far less to the imagination," Batman murmured as they stepped down into the cavernous front room of Mt. Justice.

"Do you think they'll tease me about this," Dick asked, nervously.

"We'll soon find out," he told him as the team entered the room behind Wally.

The teen speedster raced to a halt in front of the duo. "Hey, Batman! Where's Robin?" He glanced curiously at the girl next to the dark hero. "Hey, Beautiful, perhaps you've heard of me? I'm Kid Flash!"

Dick's mouth dropped open. He shot Batman a panicked look and turned back to the Zeta-tube. "That's it! I'll wait for you in the Batcave!"

"Robin!" Batman's voice halted him with his back to the room. "We agreed that you would wait here."

He sighed, and hung his head. His face felt hot with embarrassment.

"They would have found out eventually," Batman reminded him in a rare gentle tone.

"I'd have preferred later rather than sooner. Better yet, as only a nasty rumor," Dick blew out his breath in frustration.

Wally was glancing back and forth between the two of them, his eyes growing bigger with every word. "Wait! Why are you calling her Robin? Where is the real Robin?"

"What is going on," Kaldur asked as the rest of the team crossed into hearing distance.

"Yeah," Artemis asked. "Who's the new girl?"

Dick slapped his forehead. Bruce had tried to tell him that the sweatshirt didn't hide his newly-discovered femininity, but emphasized it. He simply looked too delicate to disguise it. One look and the team knew he was a . . . he sighed, a girl.

He could have let Batman answer, but there was no more reason to put it off.

"C'mon," he said teasingly as he turned around. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me?"

His teammates glanced at one another; no one wanted to be the first to attempt to guess. KF was still glaring at Batman, for once too outraged to be intimidated by the Dark Knight. Good old Wally, Dick thought, ever his best friend; taking up for Dick without realizing it. It was obvious that he believed that Batman was replacing him, and he wasn't going to stand for it, no matter if the girl was hot. The blush was back, and he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"It's Robin! Don't tell me I look _that_ different!"

For a long moment, the five other members gaped at his announcement. They all looked at Batman for confirmation. Batman never played pranks on them. Dick laughed. His signature cackle hadn't changed; just gotten higher pitched. He looked at Kaldur and smiled in a self-deprecating way.

"I think I figured out what that machine at the laboratory does," he said, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.

* * *

**Reactions? Opinions? Comments?**


	6. Stranger in My Skin pt 5

"_No way_!"

Wally circled Dick slowly, looking him up and down. It was probably the slowest pace his friend had ever managed since repeating his uncle's experiment and gaining super speed . . . And it made Dick a little uncomfortable.

"C'mon, Wally," he said. "Cut it out! It's me!"

"Dang! Dude . . . Uh, Dudette, I mean. You look good as a girl!"

It was probably because Wally wasn't looking at Dick's face that he wasn't prepared for the sharp jab that came out of nowhere. Wally stumbled backward a few feet before falling on his bum; his hand cupping his blackening eye.

"Kid Flash . . . Fail," the computer sang out.

"Ow! What gives, man?"

Artemis slapped him on the back of the head; rocking the red head on his shoulders. "Way to embarrass your best friend, idiot!"

"Hey! What?" Wally frowned at Artemis and at Dick. "I was just trying to be nice! I mean, he could have been an ugly girl!"

Dick tried to cross his arms, hesitated since his arms couldn't fit across his new chest the same way they used to. He sighed and glanced up. M'gann smiled and crossed her arms under her chest. Dick blinked at her subtle suggestion, and tried again. This time it worked better, but it still felt awkward; like he was bunching up his chest or something. At least he was wearing a baggy sweatshirt. Hopefully, it wasn't as noticeable with all the extra material.

Batman interrupted before things got too out of hand. "I'm going back to the laboratory. Wallace, you will be coming with me," he said.

Wally, in the middle or regaining his feet, nearly fell over a second time. "What? Why me?" He shrank under the batglare.

"Because you were there, and it was you who was pushing buttons on that machine. I want you to show me exactly what it is that you did when Robin was struck by the laser."

Wally sighed, resigned. This was all his fault anyway.

He paused beside Dick. "Sorry about hitting on you."

Dick winced, and then shrugged. "Sure. And . . . Um, I guess I'm sorry I punched you."

"You guess?!" Wally's one eye widened. The other was too puffy to do much other than throb.

Dick huffed. "Wally, you turned me into a girl and then flirted with me! You're lucky that I stopped with that punch!"

"Yeah, I suppose I deserved that," Wally agreed, sheepishly.

Batman was putting in their coordinates in the Zeta-tube. "Kid Flash, you're with me. We will go back to the Batcave, pick up the Batplane, and head out from there."

Wally jerked to attention, but before he moved, he smirked and leaned over to whisper in Dick's ear. "You know you're really cute when you get mad."

Dick spun around with the intention of blackening his best friend's other eye, when the speedster zipped over to the Zeta-tube, laughing hysterically.

"Wally," he yelled.

Kid Flash waved jauntily, grinning like an idiot, and stepped into the Zeta-tube after Batman. "Later, Dudette!"

Dick stared at Zeta-tube for a long moment, as if hoping the machine would spit Wally back out long enough for him to pummel, but the hum just slowly died away and the light dimmed to nothing. He ran another hand through his hair in frustration. At this rate, he would be bald by the time they were ready to go on patrol.

He knew he couldn't stand there all day, so bracing himself for what he would find, Dick turned around to face the rest of the team. Their expressions hadn't changed much from the blank looks of absolute shock they had worn when Dick had blurted out his identity to them. All except M'gann . . . She was smiling at him with delight. Dick was immediately suspicious.

Picturing the afternoon being spent with M'gann playing dress-up with him as her mannequin, Dick wondered if he ran, if he would be able to catch up with Batman and Kid Flash before they took off. His shoulders slumped, however, at the idea of an afternoon with his best bud flirting outrageously with him. Why couldn't he have spent the day hiding out in his room again?

"So, um, how's it going?" he asked, warily.

"Oh, Robin," Kaldur exclaimed. "I am _so_ sorry this happened to you. I should have insisted on bringing the device back with us."

Artemis punched Kaldur in the arm, receiving a glare from the Altantian in return.

"Hey! What was that for?" Kaldur rubbed at his arm. For a girl, Artemis hit hard. He now understood Wally's complaints.

"Why are you sorry? What's so wrong with being a girl," she asked him, heatedly.

"Nothing's wrong with being a girl," Dick answered for him. "If you _want_ to be a girl. But I kind of liked being a guy. Being a guy worked for me. This is just . . . I don't know what to do or how to act. Everything feels . . . off, you know? Like I'm a stranger in my own skin."

Artemis pursed her lips, and nodded. "Yeah, okay. I guess it would be kind of weird for me to suddenly wake up as a guy, too."

Dick laughed. "Artie, you have no idea exactly how weird waking up like this was for me." Showering had been weirder still, but he didn't want to go into that with anyone.

Connor spoke up for the first time, after staring at the younger boy . . . Um, girl for the past several minutes. "So, what are we supposed to call you?"

Dick frowned. "Robin still works. It can be used for both genders."

He shook his head. "No, I meant pronouns. Are you a he or a she?"

"A 'he'!" Dick said as both M'gann and Artemis chimed in with "A 'she', of course!"

Dick frowned at them. "I'm only a 'she' on the outside; and temporarily at that! I'm still a 'he' on the inside. I'd prefer it if you all continued to refer to me as a 'he', if you don't mind." He said it in such a way as to assure them that he would indeed mind if they chose not to follow his preference.

"Well, why don't we continue this in the kitchen," M'gann said. "I was thinking about whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies."

Dick smiled. This sounded like just what the doctor ordered. "Heavy on the chocolate, if you don't mind, M'gann!" he said. Yeah, lots and lots of chocolate, he decided, craving the sweet confection much more than normal.

* * *

**Looking for opinions here . . . What's your favorite scene in the story so far?**

**I'm sorry, but if my best friend suddenly turned into a guy, I would be rolling on the floor, laughing my butt off. It would be an opportunity like no other to tease her/him, and if I got a black eye for my trouble, it would still so totally be worth it. But then, my best friend appreciates my sense of humor - warped though it is.**


	7. Stranger in My Skin pt 6

**Warnings: Chocolate and Handbags (or Satchels) . . .**

* * *

Chocolate! Why had he never noticed how good it was before? Oh, he had always liked it, but he enjoyed vanilla and strawberry just as much . . . Until now! The other two flavors just couldn't compare!

Dick dipped his fingers into the batter and snatched a little more cookie dough. He had to move fast to avoid M'gann slapping his hand with the spatula. Mm, so good . . . But he knew what would make it even better. Reaching over he grabbed another bag of chocolate chips and promptly dumped a third of the bag into the batter.

"Robin," M'gann shrieked, laughing. "I think we have enough chocolate chips already!"

Realizing that M'gann was watching him now, and knowing he wouldn't get away with stealing any more batter out of the bowl, he grabbed the bag of chips and wandered over to the couch where Kaldur'ahm and Connor were watching football. He plopped down between them.

After a few minutes, he grew restless. It was obvious who was going to win, one of the teams was in the lead by four touchdowns and there was only fifteen minutes left. Both of the guys seemed as bored as he was. There was no exciting commentary coming from either of them like what happens when he and Wally would get together to watch the game. Since no one seemed to care, Dick leaned over, snatched up the remote, and began flipping channels.

"You guys don't mind, do you? It was almost over and there was no way the other team was going to come back to win it," he said.

Kaldur waved a hand negligently. Superboy grunted. Dick smiled, and resumed channel surfing. Something flashed before his eyes, but he had passed it by. He flipped back three channels and paused. The Shopping Channel . . .

They were selling jerseys for all the pro teams for football and basketball in the nation. He was wondering what to get Bruce for Christmas . . . And Dick loved basketball. Maybe he could get them some Gotham Knights jerseys and later wear them to a game. It would provide some great father-son bonding moments, and Dick was always on the lookout for those. He frowned as time ran out to purchase within a minute of his discovering the channel.

They switched to handbags. He sighed. Kaldur got up and wandered out of the room. Dick was about to change the channel when he saw something interesting. A Jack French London "Carnaby" large satchel . . . Hm. It looked good and had lots of room. He was needing a new backpack for school, but a satchel might be a nice change of pace.

"What are you doing?"

Dick looked over at Connor. "I was looking at that large satchel and thinking it might do for replacing my old school backpack."

Connor blinked at him and shrugged. Kaldur came back in and sat down with a drink. He frowned at the screen as Dick pulled out his cell phone. He didn't want to miss out on this one because he waited too long.

"Are you still looking at the handbags?" Kaldur asked, glancing at Robin.

"Robin likes that big, brown, leather purse," Connor replied.

Dick frowned at them. "It's not a purse," he said. "It's a satchel." He turned to Kaldur to explain. "I can use it for my schoolbooks."

Kaldur nodded and was silent for a moment. "You do not mind carrying your books to school in a ladies' satchel, then," he finally commented.

"It's not a ladies' satchel. Look! It's made of leather and comes in brown and blue. Those are boy colors, you know. Not a trace of pink, lace, or flowers anywhere!" Dick defended his choice.

"Then why is it being presented with five other ladies' purses?" Connor asked.

Dick opened his mouth, paused, and shut it again. He huffed. "It's made by a man named Jack French London! Jack is a manly name. They probably put it up there so as not to appear discriminatory against men."

Kaldur smiled. "You may tell yourself that."

Artemis and M'gann came in and sat down on the love seat.

"Oh, look, M'gann! The Shopping Channel has purses for sale." Artemis chimed in with a smile. "My mom's birthday is coming up. I'd love to be able to get her one."

"Robin likes the Jack French London satchel," Connor offered.

Artemis grinned at him. "That's a good one. My friend, Krista, has one just like it. She carries her books to school in it."

"B-but . . ." Dick stuttered. "It's called a satchel. It's not a purse!"

Artemis shrugged. "I know. Krista doesn't actually use it as a purse most of the time. Although she said it was great to take on a trip since it carried almost everything she needed, and only had to take one small carry-on instead of packing a giant suitcase that she would have to check in. It was much more convenient than a purse."

Dick's face heated, and he tossed his phone at the coffee table with a little too much force. It skittered across the surface and under the TV console. He climbed over the back of the couch instead of climbing over the legs of his companions; taking his chocolate with him.

He walked slowly to his room, wondering if maybe he was becoming a girl inside as well. But he still liked football and basketball and the color blue . . . He suddenly wished he had gone with Batman and Kid Flash. Maybe he could get switched back faster.

The feeling of irritability was getting stronger. Things that would normally not bother him were making him grind his teeth together in annoyance. He might not be able to wait in his room at home, but he had a room here that had a lock on the door. That would work for now.

* * *

**Reactions? Opinions? Comments?**

**Young Robin obviously has never met the metrosexual man . . . ;D**


	8. Stranger in My Skin pt 7

A scream rent the air.

From the living area only Superboy heard it; M'gann, however, felt the distress as if she had heard it as well. The two of them immediately flew out of the room; Superboy running flat out, and M'gann literally. Aqualad and Artemis exchanged glances before taking off after them.

M'gann stopped in front of Robin's door. "It came from here," she cried.

Connor skidded to a halt beside her. He pounded on the door. "Robin?"

He heard whimpering and was seconds from breaking the door down when M'gann laid her hand on his arm.

"Wait," she said. "Let me try."

M'gann eyes began to glow green as she reached out and opened a mental path to the room's occupant.

_Robin_? _What has happened_? _I can feel your distress. Can you open your door_?

_**No**_!

M'gann blinked at the vehemence of that one word. _May I enter, then_? _I only wish to see if you are all right_.

_**No**_! _No_! _Stay out_!

Kaldur and Artemis arrived at that moment.

"What's happening," she asked. "Is something wrong with Robin? I mean, something else; is something else wrong with Robin?"

"Is he all right," Kaldur asked. "Have you been able to talk to him?"

M'gann looked at them; worry plain on her face. "He won't open the door and won't let me enter."

"How is it you knew something was wrong? He was obviously upset when he left to go to his room," Kaldur reasoned.

Connor continued to stare at the door as he answered. "She screamed."

"You mean, he screamed," Artemis corrected.

Connor shot her an annoyed look. "Fine! _He_ screamed . . ."

He turned back to the door and narrowed his eyes. He knew that he was invading Robin's privacy, but he couldn't help but look on the little bird as a little brother . . . Um, _sister_ . . . Ack! _**Brother**_! Whatever . . . He wanted to know what upset him.

He could see that the room was empty, so his eyes turned toward the bathroom. Robin sat on the toilet with her head . . . Ugh! _His_ head in his hands! This was getting confusing. Still, despite the pronoun problem, Connor frowned when it became obvious that Robin was crying.

_Why was he crying_? _Was he in pain_?

Connor pounded on the door again, this time hard enough to leave an indention.

"Robin! Robin, you come out here in the next minute or I'm going to knock your door down and come to you," Connor threatened.

Robin raised his head and Connor was startled to discover that his sunglasses were off, and he was looking into large, amazingly, blue eyes. She . . . _He_ glanced in the direction of the door, as if he could see Superboy through the door, and fumbled for the sunglasses; slipping them back on in the next instance.

"Leave me alone, Connor!" She . . . (He sighed) _He_ yelled at him.

"Not until you come out here and tell us to our faces that you're all right," he insisted.

"No! Okay, fine! I n-need some help," Robin said, but then added quickly. "But not from you! I need B-Batman! I won't open for anyone but Batman! And if you knock down my door, I swear to God, Connor, that I will put Kryptonite in M'gann's cookie batter!" Robin pointed in the direction of the door and snarled.

Connor's eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. Robin never threatened him with Kryptonite before. Okay, he thought, this was serious, but after glimpsing Robin's expression, he decided to leave the boy's door intact.

"Well? Is he going to open the door," Artemis asked.

Connor sighed. "No. He refuses to open the door. He wants Batman, and only Batman."

"But why did he scream? Is he hurt?" Kaldur asked. He did not want Batman to be angry at them again, especially after this last fiasco.

"He seems to be all right for now," Connor said, turning away from the door.

M'gann frowned. "He's scared, though. I can feel his fear."

"Then I guess we better get a hold of Batman, then," Kaldur said. "He might be mad if we do not contact him when Robin's in trouble."

Artemis followed behind Kaldur as he walked back to the training area. "But _is_ he in trouble?"

"That will be up to Robin to convince him. We will merely forward the message," Kaldur told her over his shoulder.

Connor and M'gann exchanged looks. Something was up, and they hated being left in the dark, but M'gann was unwilling to enter uninvited. Connor thought that maybe the male Robin might have been joking, but was a little afraid that this female Robin might actually make good his . . . Uh, _her(?) _threat. They turned and followed their teammates down the hallway feeling more than a little helpless.

* * *

"Aqualad, report," Batman barked as he and Kid Flash came through the Zeta-tube.

Kaldur swallowed and glanced back at Connor and M'gann. Both of his teammates knew more about the situation than he did. He stepped forward.

"About an hour ago, Superboy and Miss Martian were alerted to Robin's distress, but when we went to investigate, he refused to come out or explain his problem; neither would he allow anyone to enter the room." He cleared his throat. "He even made certain threats if anyone dared try. He insisted he would only speak to you on the matter."

Batman frowned. "You were unable to determine his distress?"

"No. As I said, he refused to explain," Kaldur repeated.

"She . . . I-I mean, _he_ screamed. And when I insisted on coming in he threatened to put Kryptonite in M'gann's cookie batter," Connor told him. He hesitated, and then asked. "Batman, Robin wouldn't seriously put Kryptonite in the cookie batter, would he?"

Batman looked at the clone. "I would normally say no, but these are extenuating circumstances. Perhaps it's better if we make no assumptions."

Connor swallowed hard as he watched Batman disappear down the hallway leading to the bedrooms with a dramatic sweep of cape.

"Was he kidding?" Connor asked, nervously. "I couldn't tell if he was kidding?"

Kaldur patted Superboy's shoulder sympathetically. "My friend, I do not believe Batman knows how to kid."

* * *

"Robin, open the door," Batman spoke through the door. He could easily bypass the security and enter the room without Robin's permission, but the boy (_sigh_) was under an unusual amount of stress. He would prefer if he did it himself.

"Batman?"

Batman sighed. "Dick, open the door, please."

After a moment, Dick's voice could be heard. "It's open."

Opening the door, Batman entered and locked the door behind him. He didn't feel it was a necessary precaution, but it might make Dick feel better if it remained locked. And now that the door was locked, Bruce shoved his cowl back. He glanced around the room, but it was deserted. The door to the connecting bathroom was shut.

Bruce walked over to it. "Dick? I'm here. What is the problem?"

He thought he heard a sniffle. Bruce leaned his ear against the door. "Dick? Answer me!"

"B-Bruce? I-I . . ." the feminine voice broke on a sob.

Bruce frowned. What if the laser had done something more? He tried the door, only to find that it was locked as well. "Dick, let me in."

"No! Can't you talk to me from out there?"

Concern rose. "Dick, are you in pain? Are you hurt?"

"I-I don't know . . . Maybe?"

"Dick, open the door!" Bruce demanded. "Or I will do it for you."

A moment of silence passed. "Okay, it's open."

The door slid open to reveal Dick huddled in the corner of the bathroom on the floor. She . . . Bruce understood the clone's frustrations. _Dick_ looked so miserable, Bruce approached slowly and kneeled down in front of her. No matter that Dick had been born a boy; he was now a she until they managed to undo whatever the laser had done.

"Tell me what's wrong," Bruce asked gently. "I can't fix anything unless you tell about it."

"I-I can't stop crying! All I want to eat is ch-chocolate! And . . . and . . ." The delicate face blushed furiously. She reached out and grabbed Bruce's cape, pulling him close; she whispered in his ear.

Bruce blinked, and despite himself, blushed just as red as the girl in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak several times, but each time he would pause for a painful minute, and then close it again. He sighed, and finally stood.

"I'll be right back," he said, and pulling on his cowl, he turned sharply on his heel. He marched out of the room like a man on a mission.

* * *

**Uh Oh . . . **

**Reactions? Opinions? Comments?**


	9. Stranger in My Skin pt 8

**Warning: LAUGHTER AHEAD . . . **

* * *

Artemis entered Robin's room hesitantly. She wasn't even sure why she was here. Batman had only taken her aside by the arm and insisted that Robin had need of her. She wasn't so sure of that considering the threat Connor had told them Robin had made against him if he entered the room. She would just as soon avoid all forms of vengeance and punishment, especially if it came from the team's youngest member. Robin was sharp as a tack and uncomfortably creative as well. She didn't like to think of what he might come up to use against her.

The bedroom was empty, but she had expected that since Batman had given her a head's up. The kid was hiding out in the bathroom. She knocked on this door.

"Robin? Can I come in?"

There was a gasp and noises like scrambling. What the heck was he doing in there?

"Go away, Artemis!" The female voice continued to surprise her. "Where's Batman?"

"Batman sent me here," she explained. "He said you needed me for something."

It was quiet for a long moment, and then she thought she heard Robin mutter, "Coward." Artemis determined she must have misheard because this was Batman they were talking about. Batman was many things, but a coward wasn't one of them!

"Uh, so . . . Is it all right if I come in?"

Another long moment and then a loud sigh penetrated the door. "Fine. Come in," Robin gave in grudgingly.

"Gee, don't sound so appreciative, or else it might just go to my head," Artemis remarked snidely.

Robin sat on the floor near the toilet. Although Artemis had seen the transformation before, she was still startled. Even with the sunglasses, it was obvious that as a girl, Robin was extremely pretty and delicate. The kind of girl a lot of guys made a big fuss over because her delicateness tended to make them feel more masculine in comparison.

Artemis smirked. No wonder Robin was hiding out. That kind of attention would definitely be unwanted if under that cuteness, she was really a guy herself. That _had_ to be uncomfortable. Of course, it would be a real eye-opener for a boy to see what life was like as a girl, even if for just a day or two.

Robin was looking very uncomfortable and unhappy at the moment, however. Artemis sighed. She had been given her orders by Batman. She better go and see what problem was too big for the big, black Bat, but not too big for her. The toilet lid was down, so she sat on it, and casually kicked Robin's foot.

"So, what's up? The Bat said you were having a problem only I could help you with. Do you need me to shoot Wally with an arrow for you," she asked, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

Robin blushed seven different colors of red. Artemis had no idea the human face was capable of making that many different shades of red. Robin pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them. Yeah, he wanted to be referred to as a boy, but looking at the girl in front of her, Artemis couldn't do it. It was easier when you weren't looking at that pert nose and rosebud mouth.

"It won't get easier by putting it off," she said. "Might as well just spill it. It likely isn't all that big of deal once you think about it."

Robin hesitated and then pulled on Artemis' arm until she was bent close enough for Robin to whisper in her ear. Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open. She glanced at the red-faced teen, and bit her lip. Oh, God, this was . . . She covered her mouth with a hand.

"Seriously?" She mumbled from beneath her hand. She had a feeling that Robin just widened her eyes behind her glasses, but couldn't be sure.

"Uh, didn't Batman or your parents explain these things to you?" She asked this helplessly.

Robin shot her a furious look. "He did, but he didn't go that far into detail since it didn't directly affect me, being a boy and all!"

"Um, weren't you there on that day they explained all this at school?"

"Yes," Robin snarked, irritably. "But again, they only skimmed the topic because it wasn't something that we, as boys, had to worry about, if you know what I mean"

Artemis didn't appreciate the attitude since this was as embarrassing to her as it was to . . . _her_. A thought flitted through her head at that moment, and she had to purse her lips so as to not laugh. This was gong to be so sweet! After all those times that Boy Wonder and Kid Idiot played pranks on her? Oh, yes.

She patted Robin on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Rob," she told her. "I'll fix you right up."

Artemis gave the girl on the floor a cheerful wave. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere."

Robin watched the blonde as she disappeared out his door. A feeling of foreboding slid over him, although he didn't know why.

* * *

A few minutes later, Robin held the plastic-covered tube between two fingers suspiciously. He frowned at it.

"You know what it is, don't you?"

He shot Artemis a dirty look. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I have a good idea what it is."

"Then what's the problem," she asked him cheerfully . . . Too cheerfully.

"I . . . Um, know what it is," he repeated. "But I . . . Uh, I-I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with it."

Artemis smiled happily as she leaned down to whisper in his ear. Robin's eyes grew so large she caught a glimpse of them even around the lenses of his sunglasses. He gasped aloud and dramatically. He scooted over against the cabinet opposite her. He looked from her to the tampon in his hand and abruptly dropped it on the floor. He slapped it across the room to gain as much distance as possible between himself and that . . . that . . . _thing_! The look of horror on his face was too much for Artemis, and she burst out laughing hysterically.

"What. The. Hell? You've got to be joking," he glared her.

"No," she smiled widely. "That is really what you are supposed to do with it."

"Th-that's . . . **_HORRIBLE_**!" He gaped at her. "I-I can't do _that_! I'm not even sure _how_ I'm supposed to do it, but even if I did . . . I-I can't do _**THAT**_," he shrieked.

"Sure you can. Girls do it all the time," she assured him.

Robin stared at her for the longest time. She stared placidly back at him.

"_BATMAN_!"

Artemis jumped a little at his screech. Robin didn't care . . . He scrambled to his feet and ran to the door that led from his bedroom to the hallway, and bellowed.

"_**BATMA-A-AN**_!"

Okay, maybe it was more like a loud, shrill, girly shriek than a bellow, but he needed Batman _now_!

A stampede of running feet thundered toward him. All Robin cared about was that Batman was among them. Robin reached through the bodies and grabbed the Dark Knight; yanking him through the door without apology, and promptly shut the door in the faces of his teammates.

* * *

"Robin! What's wrong?" Batman glanced over to find Artemis standing innocently in the bathroom doorway. "Artemis, I thought you were going to help Robin through this."

She shrugged, and opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a hysterical Robin.

"Batman, I can't do this! You got the laser, didn't you? Shoot me with it again, _please_," he begged. "Maybe it will turn me back! I can't do that . . . that _thing_!"

Batman blinked at Robin's babbling. He sent Artemis a batglare as he began to suspect what had happened.

"What?" she asked. "You said to help him . . . _her_, _whatever_! And I did! It's not my fault that he . . . _she_ was freaked out about what every other girl her age has to deal with on a monthly basis."

"You had no other choices? No other options were available," he asked.

"Options?" Robin looked between them hopefully. "There are other options?"

"I don't have any other options handy, sorry," Artemis replied, a blush crossing her face now.

"Have you asked M'gann?" Batman suggested.

Artemis lifted her eyebrow and crossed her arms; leaning against the door jamb. "M'gann, _really_? You don't suspect that there might be a few differences in the reproductive systems between a human woman and a female Martian?"

Batman cleared his throat. Actually, he would have thought of that in any other circumstance except the one he was standing in the middle of at this moment. "What do suggest, then, since this particular option isn't open for discussion?"

"You could run out to the drug store," Artemis tilted her head and smiled.

"Or perhaps _you_ could?"

"Or _you_ could," she repeated.

They stared at one another for another several long minutes, neither flinching. Eventually, Batman's lips tightened, and Artemis wondered how he would get his vengeance upon her because she didn't have a doubt that he would. Still, it was so worth it. The entirety of the female population would be celebrating with her if they only knew.

Batman turned to Robin. "Wait here, I'll be back in a little while with another . . . option."

"Can't you just shoot me again with the laser? I'm willing to risk it," Robin asked.

"No. Not until we know what we're dealing with," Batman replied. He turned to go.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Robin asked.

"Gotham," he said. Batman sent a glare at Artemis, secretly impressed with her fortitude, but wishing she could have discovered it at another time. "To the drug store."

"Oh," Robin bit his lip. "Do you think you can pick up some chocolate while you are out, too?"

"Chocolate?"

Artemis smirked. "Chocolate might be a good idea . . . And some Midol wouldn't hurt."

Batman sighed, and then turned on his heel and exited with a growl.

* * *

Robin looked at Artemis. She looked back.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm going to regret this eventually," Artemis grinned. She just couldn't bring herself to do so just yet.

* * *

Batman stalked to the Zeta-tube. He hit his comlink. "Agent A? I need you to make a drug store run for me," he said, shamelessly delegating the task to his butler. "Chocolate, Midol, and . . ." he lowered his voice here. ". . . Um, feminine hygiene products."

* * *

**Yeah, I know . . . I really went there! But how could I not?**

**So . . . REACTIONS? OPINIONS? COMMENTS? **


	10. Stranger in My Skin pt 9

***I change POV a little bit here. The only time the pronouns are masculine is in Dick's POV. Feminine pronouns belong to Batman/Bruce's POV (Well, except for a couple of very small paragraphs. No worries; you'll figure it out easily enough.)**

***This is a problem that I realized would come up if for some reason this change became permanent. (I'll tell you now - It won't) But it is something that the characters needed to address, and will add to the pressure to fix this faster rather than later. **

***Another little tidbit to make reading this easier. This follows my Lab Rat AU, in which Bruce adopted Dick at 13 years of age. Lab Rat happened when Dick was only ten years old. This story, although it was kind of meant to stand alone, would have happened between the Lab Rat sequel "Running Scared (It is a YJ/Batman crossover, but I published it under Batman to make it easier for Lab Rat readers to find.) and Christmas of the first season. **

**WARNING: The ONLY SERIOUS chapter in the whole flippin' story . . . Get some tissues - This made ME cry!**

* * *

"You _can_ come out now, you know."

Dick looked up at Bruce as he pulled his cowl back down over his face. "I'd rather wait here. How long do you think it will take to figure out the laser?"

Batman looked at the girl in front of him. He could see Dick in her; this is what Dick's twin sister would have looked like if he had had one.

"It could take a while, but we have the best minds in the Justice League working on it."

"Including yours?" Dick sat on the edge of the desk and kicked her heels against the side of it.

"Including mine," he agreed. "I'll be heading up there just as soon as I am reassured that you are all right."

Dick frowned, and Batman had a hard time not smiling. She was just as cute as a bug in a rug.

"What if this is permanent?" Dick asked. She turned huge, cerulean-blue eyes on her mentor and father. "What if I'm a girl forever?"

Batman touched Dick's shoulder. "Then we'll deal with it. It won't be the end of the world."

* * *

But that was just it; it was the end of Dick's world. Tears sprung to his eyes so much easier now that he was going through this crazy hormonal flux. It was why, after a mere day as a girl, his new female body started its menstrual cycle. But he didn't know that the tears wouldn't have shown up anyway, even without the extra hormones.

"Will I still get to be Robin? Will you let me go out as Robin if I'm a girl?" Dick asked.

* * *

Batman hesitated. So, this was Dick's big worry. He had to admit that Dick was even less intimidating as a female, and the delicacy of her bone structure made him worry that she would be more prone to injury than her male counterpart. But she should have retained all of Dick's acrobatic skill and muscle memory. Robin's training should still apply.

"We'll see. There are pros and cons to being Robin as a girl, so we'll need to go over your training thoroughly and see if there are ways to compensate for differences between your male and female bodies. Until then, Robin will be grounded," Batman told her reluctantly.

"What? No! Please, Batman . . . I have to be Robin! If you take that away . . ." Dick's voice faded away, but the thoughts running through her head were still going a hundred miles a minute.

"I didn't take it away . . . At least, not permanently." Batman sighed. "Dick, listen, all this worry may be for nothing. There's no telling that we may have the answers we want within the next twenty-four hours."

Dick looked down at her hands. A fat tear dropped onto the back of one her hands and they both watched as it ran down between her fingers. "But what if . . ."

"Dick, you know better than to play the 'what-if' game," Batman told her.

Another tear followed. "But . . ."

"No buts! This will work out one way or another," Batman snapped.

He needed to get going if they had any hope of figuring this out anytime soon. He didn't know if there was a time limit that the changes became permanent if they went beyond it. He turned to go.

* * *

Dick had to have one question answered or it would drive him crazy. He had to know! So, he blurted it out as fast as he could before Batman could leave.

"Will you even still _want_ me if I can't be your son anymore? What happens to us if I'm a girl forever?"

* * *

Batman halted in the open doorway. He carefully stepped backward; back into the room and let the door close. He locked it, and pulled the cowl back off of his head, so that when he turned back to face his son, the boy could see his face; his eyes.

Dick touched on a subject that terrified Bruce. He had hoped to spare the boy this particular problem; that he could fix this before it became an issue. But Dick was sometimes too smart for his own good. He didn't have good news for either of them if Dick remained a female, but at least in this, he could calm his child's fear.

"I will **_always_** want you," Bruce said clearly. "You are my son. And if for some reason this . . . change becomes permanent, I would be just as happy to have you as my daughter. My feelings about you won't change, not even if you have."

Dick gave a sob and hopped off the desk; running to fling her arms around Bruce's waist and clinging to him.

"So, you won't send me back if I can no longer be your son?"

Bruce kneeled, and Dick switched her hold to his neck; burying her face in the juncture of Bruce's neck and shoulder. Her hot tears scalded his skin, and he sighed. He didn't want to tell her, but he was going to be up in the Watchtower for the unforeseeable future and it was only a matter of time before she thought of it herself . . . And Bruce wanted to be here when it happened. So . . . He would have to bring it up first.

"Dick," he began hesitantly. He didn't know how to tell her this; didn't want to have to tell her this, but he needed to. Dick needed to be forewarned. He swallowed. He tried again.

"Dick, **_IF_** this change becomes permanent . . . It is going to shake up our world quite a bit. You remaining Robin won't even be an issue, if that's the case." He sighed. "I adopted Richard Grayson; a male child; a boy. I didn't wait three years to start the process once I knew what I wanted, Dick. I started it three years ago, when you were still just ten years old. It simply took three years to accomplish; three years to convince the courts that I, as a single man, was suitable to be a father and provide a permanent home for a young boy. It wasn't easy."

Dick leaned back to look at him; frowning. But Bruce could see the wheels turning in those amazing eyes. She was working this out, and the connection was about to be made. Her eyes widened a second later, and that hated fear re-entered them.

"There is going to be questions raised about Richard Grayson's sudden disappearance; an inquiry made. I won't be able to tell them what happened to him; not without risking a hell of a lot more. And if those aren't enough problems for us to handle, then your appearance as a female will raise yet more. Even if Dick's disappearance wasn't an issue; the likelihood that CPS and the courts will allow me to adopt a young girl will be impossible. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Dick's breathing increased, and the tears hovered only an instant before falling. "They're going to take me away from you," she whispered brokenly. "They're going to investigate you for my disappearance, and then take me away from you."

Bruce blinked a couple of times to dispel his own tears. He wouldn't allow them to fall, however. Dick needed him to be strong.

"There will be questions about where you came from, who you belong to, and how I came to be in possession of you. A whole lot of nasty questions that we won't be able to answer satisfactorily. So, I am going to go up to the Watchtower and see what I can do to fix this . . . for the _both_ of us. I refuse to give up my family a second time; not without a fight." This last sentence Bruce growled in his Batman voice.

"What are we going to do?" Dick wiped at her tears with the back of her hand. "If you can't change me back; what are we going to do? I don't want to be taken away from you and Alfred!"

Bruce wiped the tears away with his thumb and gave Dick a smile. "How do you feel about Belarus?"

Dick blinked. "Belarus?" All he knew was that it was a small country in Eastern Europe.

"No extradition agreement with the United States," Bruce winked. "Or, if you prefer a more tropical climate, there is always Indonesia."

* * *

Dick gaped at him. Batman would be willing to leave Gotham City . . . For him? Her? Whatever?

"You'd _do_ that? For _me_?"

Bruce pursed his lips. "I'd be willing to do a hell of a lot more than that for you, kiddo."

Dick threw himself into Bruce's arms once more, but this time his tears were happy ones; tears of relief. His fears and insecurities melted away. Whatever happened, he would still have his family. He could live with that.

* * *

**Well? What do you think? Did I make you cry? If not, check your pulse and see if you're still alive . . . **

**And yep, that was a shameless plug for my Lab Rat series. The first story is Batman/Robin; and it's sequel happens just a couple of weeks after Artemis joins the team; before Superboy got his name, in the end of August. Both are hurt/comfort/horror and there are warnings listed in the summary, and again at the beginning of each chapter. The YJ/Batman sequel is rated "M" for content; not for inappropriateness. The sequel is ongoing, btw. At the time of this writing 4/26/15, there are 18 chapters and I am currently working on chapter 19. **

**Reading the first story (Lab Rat) isn't exactly necessary to enjoy the sequel, but it explains A LOT! It also has guest stars throughout the second half of the story that make it fun to read.**

**Next chapter for MoD, back to hilarity and Kid Flash . . .**


	11. Stranger in My Skin pt 10

**Holy smokes! The chapters; they just keep getting longer. I considered breaking this up, but couldn't find a good place to do it. So, another longer chapter. But most of my chapters are even longer in other stories, so . . . **

**Okay, part of this is serious, but lightens up near the end. And we get to see why we both love Wally and, at the same time, feel the urge to strangle him!**

* * *

Wally frowned at the team. "And he won't come out?"

Kaldur shook his head. "No. And knowing how distressed she is, it hasn't been easy. She won't allow anyone in but Batman, although Artemis did enter for a short time."

Wally glanced over at the blonde who annoyed him almost as much as she interested him – not that he would ever admit to it. "Why'd he let you in?"

"She didn't exactly 'let' me in, Baywatch," Artemis shrugged. Despite getting her little revenge in on the current Girl Wonder, she wasn't going to blab to Kid Idiot or any of the rest of the team as to why she had been sent into Robin's room. 'Gals before Pals' ruled here, even if the gal in question was only that temporarily. "Batman asked me to check on her."

Wally blinked. "Why do you all keep referring to Robin as a 'she'? I thought he wanted to be referred to as a guy?"

Artemis winced. "Have you tried talking to her recently? It's impossible to look Robin in face and think of her as a guy. You saw Robin for all of three minutes before you were out through the Zeta-tube with Batman. I mean, you can do it out here abstractly, but not when faced with her in the flesh."

Connor nodded. "It is difficult," he agreed. "She's just so . . . (sigh) feminine!"

Wally gaped at them. "Are we talking about the same Boy Wonder here? Rob is small, but he's all boy!" At the looks that the team leveled at him, Wally winced himself, knowing that the predicament that Rob now faced was entirely his fault. "Okay, well, he _was_ all boy. And he will be again! Soon! You'll see . . ."

Connor shrugged. "Then I'll start thinking of her as a guy again when that happens."

"But you all insist that he's really upset by all of this?"

M'gann looked sad. "I don't even have to read his mind," she said. "He's having trouble keeping his emotions to himself. He's projecting rather loudly."

M'gann was the only one left on the team that still referred to Robin with male pronouns. She had touched his mind for however briefly, and it had been the same, even with estrogen flooding his system. He really was a male trapped in a female's body.

"We'll have to see about that, then," Wally pronounced.

"Uh, Wally?" Artemis bit her lip. "It's like M'gann said. She's more upset than what you're used to seeing. She might not be as steady and easy-going as Robin usually is."

"What are you trying to say, Artie? That Rob's PMS-ing?"

Artemis snapped her mouth closed, but the blush gave it away. When Wally's eyes widened in shock, Artemis scowled at him. She brushed past him hard, irritated that by trying to help the blockhead, she had only managed to leave Robin open to more embarrassing teasing from her supposed best friend.

Wally rubbed his shoulder where Artie bumped into him, and stared at her retreating back. _No way_! Just . . . **_no way_**! Rob was like Batman-logical; surely he wouldn't really turn into a hormonal-ridden, crazed, female nutcase like the blonde stalking away from him! Hm, maybe he shouldn't come out and ask his friend about that. Oh, who was he kidding? He probably step into the room and blurt it out without any preliminaries. He wasn't called Kid Mouth for his tactfulness.

Oh well, at least his eyes would match if both were blackened.

What kind of hero would he be if he couldn't take a couple of well-deserved punches to the face from his best friend? He headed off in the direction of Rob's room.

* * *

"Go away!"

_They were right_! He had only spoken to Rob for a minute or so, and somehow the change in his voice hadn't really clicked. Rob sounded exactly like a girl now. _Weird_!

"C'mon, Rob! Let me in. I promise I won't hit on you anymore." Wally pleaded. "I only did that as a joke anyway. You know I didn't mean anything by it!"

Silence. It could mean that Robin was considering forgiving him or that he was going to ignore Wally completely.

"Please? I'm sorry. This is all my fault," Wally admitted through the door.

Another full minute passed before the door opened. Wally blinked. He had totally forgotten what the female version of Rob looked like after he had left the cave. The reality of it slammed into him like a truck!

"_Holy Shit_! You really _are_ a girl!" KF blurted.

Robin glared at him and started to close the door. Wally sped through the opening so that he was standing behind Robin when she closed the door and locked it. She threw her hands up upon turning and spotting him standing there. Oh crap! Now he was referring to Rob as a female in his thoughts, too. He suddenly understood what the rest of the team was talking about.

"Look, I'm sorry," he began. "I didn't mean for this to happen, and the shock of it just came exploding out of my mouth like some kind of verbal diarrhea!"

Robin snorted. "Verbal diarrhea?"

Wally shrugged and grinned. Then he frowned as he got his first good look at his friend since the transformation. She had been crying! Wally could see the streaks the tears had left behind. Oh man, he had made his best friend cry! If he hadn't been feeling guilty before, he was now.

"Hey," he said, punching the girl lightly on the shoulder. "You doing okay?"

Her lip trembled a little, and she walked over to slump down on her bed. "If Batman can't figure this out . . . I-I'm going to have to go away for a while."

Wally frowned and sat down beside her. "What do you mean, 'go away'? For how long?"

Robin sighed. "Forever."

"What?" Wally sat up. "B-but why?"

"Because we won't be able to explain what happened to me," she told him. "CPS will come and take me away from . . . from Batman, and then there will be this big investigation into my disappearance that could very well end up with . . . with Batman facing criminal charges for anything and everything from child endangerment to kidnapping; from human trafficking to murder. They'll take Robin away from me and put me into an orphanage."

Robin just managed to stop himself from saying 'back' into an orphanage. As it was, he had just pretty much admitted that Batman was his father. Not many knew about that . . . Not even his best friend.

Wally's mouth dropped open! No wonder Rob was upset! With a stupid press of a button, Wally had just _destroyed_ his friend's life!

"B-but that's not going to happen, right? Batman and the League will figure this out and fix it . . ._ right_?"

"Hopefully," Robin smiled weakly. "Otherwise, I'm going to have to learn a new language."

"What?"

"If it is permanent, Batman said he won't allow anyone to take me away. We'll run." Robin shrugged. "I'll be going away for a while," he repeated what he had said earlier.

_Oh God_! Wally covered his face with his hands and fell back on the bed. He destroyed his friend's life _and_ taken away Gotham City's sole protectors.

"But there's still a chance that this can be reversed," Robin told him, shaking his shoulder. "But if we have to run, I wanted to make sure I got to say goodbye and that you knew why I had to go."

Yeah, because of _him_! Batman and Robin would have to go away and it was all because of him! Wally felt like he had to throw up.

"Hey! Are you okay? You look a little green," Robin commented.

"Feeling a little green," Wally admitted. "I came in here to cheer you up and now I feel like crying with you."

Robin laughed a little, and Wally cringed. It sounded just like Robin's old laugh, just a little higher in pitch. They had to fix this! They just had to . . .

He sat up. "What if you told everyone that you had a sex-change operation?"

Robin stared at him for a long moment before bursting out into bright laughter. "Be serious!"

"I _am_ . . . Being serious, I mean. It could explain why Robin has become a Robinette."

"I'm _thirteen_, KF. What court in the nation would not consider this as child abuse or something like it? I'm too young to make that kind of decision legally, and . . . Well, Batman wouldn't be able to make that kind of decision for me either, even in a parental role. Besides that . . . I'm not gay." Robin frowned. "Well, maybe I am now. I'm not sure how that works."

"Not interested in dudes, eh?"

Robin shoved Wally off the bed. "Ew."

Wally landed with a loud thump. He laughed as he sat up and rubbed his elbow. "Come on, Rob. You can't sit in here hiding until Batman solves this. You need to get out of here and get your mind on something else."

"Like what?" Robin looked at him skeptically.

"There's a monster movie marathon at the theater in Happy Harbor. We could even grab a pizza first if you want."

Robin pursed her lips in thought. "Zombies?"

"At least two zombie movies in the line-up," Wally promised. He held up two fingers side-by-side.

Robin smirked. "Wally, there are three fingers in the Boy Scout salute."

Wally flipped up the third finger. "Like you've ever been a Boy Scout to know for sure."

Robin shrugged, and continued negotiations. "Anchovies on the pizza?"

Wally cringed. "I eat a lot; not anything!"

"Regular supreme, then?" Robin asked, a real smile threatening to break out.

"Done deal," Wally jumped to his feet and pointed to the door with his thumb. "I'll . . . Um, wait outside until you change."

Robin frowned, and looked down at herself. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Wally sighed. Robin was definitely still a dude if he was willing to wear that outfit out in public. "'Cause I have a reputation to uphold?"

Rob's mouth dropped open. "Are you telling me I'm ugly?"

"What? No!" Wally laughed at the offended look on his friend's pretty face. "You make a really cute girl!" He ducked playfully and darted to the other side of the room. "Don't hit me," he grinned. "No, I'm just saying that you're dressed kind of . . . Well, kind of 'frumpy', you know?"

Robin put her hands on her hips and glared at Wally. "Frumpy?!"

"Dudette, go check out yourself in the mirror." Wally pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

* * *

Dick shot him an unreadable look as he walked slowly into the bathroom. He had already looked at himself in the mirror far too many times. He knew what he looked like as a girl. He flipped on the light and stared at the bloodshot eyes, tear-stained face, tousled hair, and . . . (sigh) 'frumpy' clothes. He wasn't one to place tons of importance on appearance, but he wouldn't willingly go out in public with the girl in the mirror.

"I'm _frumpy_!"

KF peeked around the corner and met Dick's eyes in the mirror. He grinned. "I bet we can fix it easily enough."

"How?"

"Give me a second, will you?"

With that Wally darted out of the room.

* * *

**Lordy, all this pronoun stuff is giving me a headache! LOL! Ah! Finally, something interesting is about to happen . . .**

**REACTIONS?**

**I didn't really mean to get philosophical in this, and this doesn't necessarily reflect my opinions about certain PC matters, but then again this situation is unique . . . And thankfully temporary. I don't truly want Batman and Robin to flee to Belarus.**


	12. Stranger in My Skin pt 11

**Warning: Teeny, Tiny Bit of Language . . . **

* * *

Dick was staring critically into his rather skimpy wardrobe in his closet. He seldom stayed over at the mountain, and so he didn't keep much here. He had more things to choose from in his closet back at the manor, but none of them would make a better choice. Maybe he should have allowed Alfred to make a few purchases for him. He didn't really know how long he was going to be stuck like this, after all. But giving in to that necessity had felt like giving up on ever regaining his former self, and he really wanted to be Dick Grayson both outside and in.

He turned at the sound of his door opening up. Wally entered with a hand slapped dramatically over his eyes.

"You decent?" The redhead asked Dick; grinning like an imbecile.

Dick couldn't help laughing. He stopped abruptly when M'gann and Artemis both followed KF into his room. He blinked in surprise. He wasn't sure what he was expecting Wally to do, but somehow his recruiting their two female teammates wasn't it. He probably should have expected it, however. It made perfect sense . . . Of course, maybe that was why Wally had surprised him. The guy was his best bro, but logical, he wasn't.

"Um, yeah! I'm decent," he said. "Hey, M'gann . . . Artemis." Dick blushed upon seeing the blonde again.

M'gann smiled warmly at him. "Wally said you guys decided to catch pizza and a movie, but you didn't want to go out wearing . . ." She hesitated, uncomfortable.

Artemis pointed at his outfit with a sneer of disgust on her face. "_That_," she said without preamble. "And you shouldn't go out anywhere wearing that . . . Like, _ever_!"

"We came to help," M'gann offered.

Dick blinked and looked back and forth between the three of them. "Um, that's nice of you, but I'm not sure what you can do at this point." He waved a hand at his closet. "I don't really have anything that would fit a girl in my closet, and you are both still much taller and . . . um, _taller_," he repeated, helplessly, his hands hovering in front of his chest, "than I am."

"Smooth, Dudette," Wally grinned at him. "And they say '_I_' have no tact."

Artemis shoved the speedster. "They are right, Kid Mouth; you don't!"

"That's why I am here," M'gann told him. "I can manipulate organic material." At Dick's blank stare, she clarified. "I can change what you're wearing into something else."

_Oh, wait_! Dick remembered M'gann could do that, but he just didn't think of her ability to manipulate matter while referencing his own clothing. It was always what she could do with herself and the bioship.

"But won't it go away if you aren't concentrating?" he asked.

"No, you can wear it and hang it in your closet. Or if you prefer to get these clothes back, I can change them back after you come back to the mountain." M'gann told him.

"You can make it permanent?" Dick was impressed.

"Of course, silly. It is manipulation; not illusion."

"Wow! Okay," Dick shrugged. He was game. "So, what do I need to do?"

M'gann held her hands out in front of her like she was planning to take a photo. "Just stand there," she said.

The actual manipulation was creepy as hell, and it was all Dick could do not to jump and claw his clothes off of him as the material moved and changed around his body. Something felt like it was confining his chest and his boxers shrank to fit his bottom. The sweatshirt got lighter and smaller, and his jeans unwound from his legs. His tennis shoes shifted around his feet and he felt himself gain another couple of inches in height as his feet were forced onto the toes.

At the end of it, Dick was struck dumb as were Artemis and Wally. M'gann just stood there grinning happily at what she wrought.

"Oh, _wow_!" Artemis finally gasped. "That's fantastic! You look . . . You look _incredible_!"

Wally sat down on Dick's bed like his legs gave out on him, his mouth hanging open like a codfish. "I-I'm . . . stunned."

Dick felt a little breezy, however, and stumbled into the bathroom in his new, high-heeled sandals. He gawked at himself in the mirror, hardly believing his eyes. He no longer saw a feminine Dick Grayson, however. He watched his cheeks turn pink. He glanced behind him and saw that his teammates couldn't see him from where he stood. With a shaking hand, he slowly removed his sunglasses.

He gasped as the transformation became complete.

His hair was still tousled, but attractively; framing his face and bringing out his eyes even more than the ridiculously long eyelashes did by themselves. He was wearing a clingy, pastel-pink, halter top with a short, white, sheer blouse over it that stopped at his midriff. The halter was tucked into a matching pastel-pink, pleated skirt that ended mid-thigh. His legs were bare and the strappy sandals were light-tan color.

"M'gann," he yelped, horrified. "No pink! No skirt!"

She stepped into the bathroom and Dick scrambled to grab his sunglasses and shove them onto his face. M'gann just smiled.

_*I've seen your face before and you have beautiful eyes. It's a shame you have to hide them_, she thought at him.

_When did you see my face_, Robin gaped at her through their reflections.

_A few months ago. You might not remember_, she told him through their mind link.

Dick immediately knew what incident she was referring to, and it was true that he didn't remember anyone seeing his face. Had he been hiding his identity for the past few months needlessly? Did everyone know what he looked like and who he was? If so, why didn't Batman tell him about it?

_Only Connor and I saw you. We agreed not to mention it. None of the others have seen you, though. Batman suggested we just leave things like they are. He's still very concerned about your identities, and swore us to secrecy_.

Dick was silent for a moment as he thought about that. His gaze refocused on what he was wearing, and turned his mind back to immediate, practical matters.

_No pink; no skirt_, he thought at her.

The material started moving and twisting and reweaving itself around him, and it was all Dick could do not to shudder in revulsion. He didn't want to offend M'gann, but he couldn't wear that ultra-feminine outfit comfortably even in the privacy of his room, let alone in public.

A moment later, Dick was staring at himself in a black, boat-neck, sleeveless dress with a flaring skirt than ended just above his knees. The dress was made up of a huge, floral print; the flowers were pink and white and romantic against the stark black of the background. His sandals had turned into cream-colored pumps with an open-toe. A wide black belt showed off his tiny waist.

"M'gann," he complained. "Seriously? I said, no skirt! And . . ." he added grumpily, "No _flowers_!"

"It's not a skirt; it's a dress. You look so adorable," she squealed, clapping her hands together with delight. She moved to his other side as Artemis and Wally came to stand beside him. "Doesn't he look adorable?"

"She's right, Dudette," Wally chimed in. "You're looking pretty darn adorable right now."

"Not helping, Wally," Dick snarled at him.

"I wish I could wear that outfit," Artemis said. "It's really cute and you wear it beautifully, Robin."

Dick grimaced, flushing red at Artemis' compliment. "Why couldn't you wear it, Artie?"

"It's too dark for my complexion and the style wouldn't fit my body structure," she explained. "But you totally rock that outfit, and the other one, too."

Dick was plucking at the neck of the dress uncomfortably. "It's not really my taste. Look, M'gann, I really appreciate your help, but I've been happily living out thirteen years of my life as a boy, and suddenly I'm a girl for barely twenty-four hours and you are putting me in pastels and dresses and high heels. It's a bit too much, too fast." He sighed. _I'll never get used to wearing girly stuff like this_, he thought. _Not ever_! "And while I'll admit that I'm pretty graceful for a guy, if I have to walk more than ten steps in these heels, I'm going to break my neck!"

M'gann looked a little disappointed. Dick felt bad for her, but there was no way in hell he was setting one foot outside of this room wearing a dress; girl's body or not!

Artemis smirked and caught M'gann's eye in the mirror. "I have just the outfit," she announced. "M'gann, look in my mind, and try that one on her."

"_Him_, Artemis," Dick scowled. "Try that one on _him_."

Artemis looked at Dick; smiling sadly. "You ask the impossible, Robin. I can't look at you and remember to say '_him_'."

The material started moving again. This time Dick couldn't suppress the shudder the fabric slithering over his arms and legs made him feel. But at least this time he was going to feel dressed rather than half-naked. In less than a minute, Dick was actually smiling at his reflection. This was much better. Still a little dressier than he'd like, but so much better than the two previous choices that he didn't feel like he should complain.

He was wearing a thin, long-sleeved, white shirt with a light-weave, navy-blue cardigan over it. He wore dark-blue, skinny jeans tucked into tall, dark-brown, riding boots.

He met each of his friends' eyes in the mirror. He bit his lip, nervously. He wasn't looking like some kind of frou-frou, runway model anymore, but he definitely looked like a girl. Dick sighed. He supposed it was the best he could hope for . . .

"I'm okay with this," he said, hesitantly. "What do you think? Can I go out in public now without hurting Wally's image?"

M'gann giggled while Artemis slapped Wally in the arm.

"You said that to her? You are _such_ a jerk," Artemis groused at him, rolling her eyes.

Wally flinched, but laughed. "Hey, you saw what she was wearing? You all admitted she needed a makeover."

Dick frowned as he turned around to face Wally. "You, too, Brutus?"

Wally's grin slipped away. "What? What did I do?"

Dick shook his head and walked out of the room, trying to ignore the clickety-clack of the low-heeled boots. He would have preferred hiking boots, but refused to complain anymore. He'd probably end up looking like Cinderella if M'gann tried again. He was satisfied well enough, although he had lost a little bit of the anticipation for the evening with Wally's pronoun slip-up. But then again, he _looked_ like a blessed girl! How could he blame him for forgetting?

Dick pursed his lips, annoyed. The fact was that he couldn't. He couldn't blame or complain to any of them for referring to him as the female he resembled. He needed to go to this movie marathon and get his mind off of his problems. Maybe, if he were really lucky, Batman would be waiting on him by the time he and Wally came back, and he could go to bed tonight and wake up as Dick Grayson again. Then maybe he could write this whole thing up as a bad dream.

* * *

*** Referencing a scene in "Lab Rat: Running Scared".**

* * *

**REACTIONS? OPINIONS? COMMENTS?**

**You had to know that M'gann was going to get to play dress-up with Robin at some point. What did you think of the three outfits? Could you imagine them well enough? Based upon Wally's reaction, it would have been fun to have gotten Kaldur and Connor's opinion on the different looks . . . LOL! But Robin absolutely refused to step foot outside of his door in either of the first two. Sorry - I tried my best. **

**I don't know if the guest that asked about Robin's comment to Wally "You, too, Brutus?" will read this or not, but I will reference it for any of you who do not know it. It comes from Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar" when Caesar asked his best friend Brutus "You, too, Brute?" (pronounced Broo -teh) when he betrayed him with the rest of the Roman Senate and helped to murder him. When people say it now, it just means "traitor". Robin says it to Wally because he gave in and began referring to Robin as "she" rather than the "he" Robin wanted to be called. He wasn't actually angry at Wally so much as annoyed and a touch disappointed. But hey! Even I was having a hard time keeping the pronouns straight while writing this.**


	13. Stranger in My Skin pt 12

**Version 2: I didn't realize until I reread this chapter and tried to write the fight scene that the story was turning dark. So, here is the chapter the way it should have happened. With the antagonists being happy drunks . . . This one is much better, and a lot funnier!**

**Warning: Maybe a Little Language . . .**

* * *

By the time Dick and Wally had reached the town, it was time for the first movie to start. It was called 'Attack of the Zombie Bride', and was about a bride who was turned into a zombie and went around eating her wedding party. It sounded a little lame, but it had zombies, so they went and had a blast, throwing popcorn at the screen whenever the bride caught one of her bridesmaids. The bride was dead and dragged a foot behind her; how the heck could she possible catch healthy, living people with two good feet?

Dick only caught Wally staring at him once, but it was more because he had his sunglasses off in the theater. The movie was dark, but a few scenes provided enough light to get a decent glimpse of his face. Dick didn't look at his friend. It was bad enough, he supposed, that Wally was seeing his eyes in profile.

"Wally, quit staring at me," he whispered loudly. "You're creeping me out."

"Sorry, Rob," Wally leaned over to whisper in his ear. "But you've got some amazingly long lashes. It almost looks like those Hollywood fake lashes. Were they that long before . . . you know?"

"No," Dick sighed. "Please, don't make me have to put my sunglasses on in here. I won't be able to see the movie."

"Oh, right! Sorry, Dudette." Wally started munching on his popcorn again.

Since the next movie was about a vegetable that ate Manhattan, they decided to go to the pizza parlor a couple of blocks from the theater while they waited for the next movie to show. Dick was laughing; forgetting for a moment his problems and even that he was a girl. He was enjoying himself with his best friend and that was all that was important. Wally threw a mushroom at Dick, and Dick bent his head and caught it in his mouth. Wally fell over laughing.

After a little while, the waitress came over and dropped the check in front of Wally, instead of placing it in the center of the table.

"I'll be your cashier whenever you're ready," she told him. "Or you can pay at the register as you leave."

Dick gaped at her retreating back, but Wally was snickering as he pulled out his wallet.

"Wait a minute," Dick said, reaching for the check. "How much is it? What do I owe?"

Wally just shook his head, grinning. "Don't worry about it, Rob," he told his friend, sliding the bill out of Dick's reach. "I've got this one. It's on me."

Dick frowned at him. "But that's not fair. We always split the ticket when we go out."

"That's because when we normally go out together, it isn't a date. The waitress, however, thinks that this is." Wally cracked up at the look on Dick's face. "Yeah, yeah, I know it isn't. But we can't disappoint her, can we? Besides, she cute. I don't want her thinking I'm some kind of cheapskate or something in case I decide I want to ask her out later on."

The reminder was brutal and embarrassing. A huge blush crept up Dick's face.

"O-okay," he sighed. There was no sense in arguing about it here. "But keep the receipt, and I'll reimburse you for my half when we get back to the mountain."

Wally grinned at him. "You're a pal."

Dick rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Yeah, whatever."

"I don't suppose you'll let me go up and pay by myself," Wally asked. "Maybe I can get her phone number."

Dick blinked at him, a little offended in spite of himself. "You're going to try to pick her up while in the middle of a date with _me_? Seriously, Dude. That's lame, even for you."

Wally leaned over and pinched his cheek, teasingly, and Dick slapped his hand away. "Don't be hatin', girlfriend. I'll just casually mention that you're my cousin in visiting from Minnesota, and my dad wanted me to take you out and show you a good time while you were here."

"And you think she'll buy that?" Dick looked at him skeptically. "We look nothing alike. And who says I want to be related to you, anyway?"

"Would you rather be my girlfriend?" Wally snickered, enjoying his friend's discomfort. What were best buds for, anyway if not for a few good laughs? He stood up; his wallet and the check in hand.

Dick huffed. "Well, since you put it that way."

"Look, I'll return the favor if ever I get turned into a girl, okay," Wally smirked.

"Whatever, man. I'll meet you outside. I need to go to the bathroom." Dick waved the Cretin away.

Wally started to turn away, but stopped abruptly. The smirk on his face turned decidedly evil. He leaned down to whisper in Dick's ear.

"And which bathroom would that be," he asked casually. "The men's or the _ladies_?"

The blush and all the normal coloring in Dick's face drained away in an instant. It was probably a good idea that he was sitting down because he would have likely swooned like a freaking damsel in distress so fast did the blood leave his head. The restaurant spun a bit. He shook his head to clear it.

"_Oh shit_!" Dick glanced up at Wally. "I totally forgot. We were even talking about my being a girl and I _still_ forgot about it! How messed up is that?"

Wally had to put a hand on the back of the booth to keep from falling on the floor, he was laughing that hard. "This is why I love hanging out with you! You are so damned entertaining!"

"I can't go into the ladies' room," Dick squeaked. "I just can't do it!"

Wally wiped his streaming eyes with the back of his hand as he caught his breath. "Well, how bad is it? Do you want to go back to the mountain? I can probably run you there and back without missing more than the opening credits of the next movie."

"It's not bad yet," Dick grumbled. "Look, go on and pay. I'll be up in a second."

As Wally walked away, Dick picked up his cardigan. He didn't need it inside, but outside was getting cold now that the sun was fully down. But then again, it was the end of October. He supposed they were lucky it was as mild as it was.

Dick stood up and started to put on the sweater when it was pulled out of his hands. He turned around and found himself staring at a broad chest coated in a flannel shirt. He glanced up at the dark-haired guy in front of him, and then peeked around to count two more guys as equally as tall and broad as the first.

"Hey, babe! My name'schet. Wass yours . . ." The dark-haired guy swayed into Dick with a big, goofy grin on his face.

The fumes alone on the guy's breath was almost enough for Dick to get drunk off of. He tried to breathe shallowly, through his mouth. His eyes watered.

What did he say his name was? Schet? Oh, wait . . . Chet!

"Uh, hi, Chet. Um, I'm sorry," Dick smiled at him. "I'm just getting ready to go to the movies with my . . ." Dick glanced back at Wally. He was still chatting up their waitress. " . . . Um, my boyfriend," he finished, lamely.

Chet blinked at Dick, owlishly, and frowned. "Who'sh your boyfriend?"

Dick pursed his mouth and then flattened it in annoyance; sighing. He held up a thumb in Wally's direction. "That guy over there . . . With the red hair."

Chet looked over, squinting. "That guy? He's flirting with Allishum – um, Allishan. He's flirting with your waitress."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, I never said he was a _good_ boyfriend, did I?"

Chet frowned; offended on Dick's behalf. "You desherve better'n that!"

"Probably," Dick agreed, swiftly. "Welp, Chet! I better get going now. It was nice to meet you. Gotta run."

Dick decided to leave the sweater. He didn't need it _that_ bad. He turned to go when Chet grabbed his arm and pulled him back and up against his side. He flung an arm around Dick's shoulders, tugging him close.

"You never tol' me your name, shweetums."

Dick's sense of the ridiculous was beginning to come to the fore, and he repressed the sudden urge to giggle with vehemence. He didn't giggle, damn it!

My name . . . my name . . . my name is . . ." Ah, hell, it wouldn't matter in the end. Chet and his buddies wouldn't remember this night, let alone his name. "My name is . . . Um, Robin."

"Robin! Like the shweet, lil' bird o' shpring!" Chet crooned in Dick's ear.

"Ah, Chet . . . Please, don't do that." Dick tried to push away, but Chet was a hell of a lot stronger than he looked.

"I'm gonna help you, chickie," Chet announced grandly.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Chet. Honestly, I'm good the way things are. Thanks anyway," Grimacing, Dick tried to push away again with a little more effort.

Chet squished Dick back to his side easily; squeezing the breath out of his newly-chosen girlfriend. "But I wanna . . ." he said. "Cuz . . . I think I love you." Chet leaned down to nibble Dick's ear, but only managed to lick it.

"Ew . . ." Dick cringed. The guy was just a drunk, and he knew Chet didn't mean any harm, but if he didn't let him go soon, Dick was going to have to hurt him.

"Fellas! Meet my new girlfriend, Robin. Ishn't she bootiful," Chet asked them proudly.

The other two guys were just as big as Chet, and kind of reminded Dick of the rest of the three stooges.

"Thish is Sham," Chet said, pointing to the blond guy with curly hair. "And that'sh Eddie." He pointed to the bald fellow.

Dick waved weakly. They were just as wasted as Chet was.

"Uh, Chet? How many beers did you guys have with your pizza?" Dick asked.

"Oh, jusht a couple o pitchers," he replied. "Don worry, baby. A couple o pitchers ishn't enuff to get ush drunk!"

"Nah," Sam agreed. "But the bottlesh of tequila and rum we had earlier might haf dun it."

Eddie was nodding. "Yeah, nothin' ta worry your lil' head over, Robbie, baby. 'Liquer befo' beer; you're in good cheer'," he quoted.

"Do you wanna beer, shugarlump?" Chet asked, politely.

"Ah, no, thanks," Dick waved a hand in front of his face; attempting to bat away the fumes. "I'm not old enough to drink. In fact, I'm not old enough to be your girlfriend either, Chet," he told him. "I'm only thirteen, you know."

Chet laughed. "Ah, you're jusht a cute, lil' thing. That'sh okay," he tried to whisper in Dick's ear.

Dick pushed Chet's face away. Gross! He strained to look over his shoulder to find Wally. He was going to need some back up here soon.

"My mom'ssh a good dozen yearsh younger than my dad," Chet assured him. "There'sh only nine . . . ten?"

"Eight," offered Sam.

"Nine . . . Yeah, nine yearsh between ush, my lil' Robin redbreast!" Chet announced happily.

Then, as if what he just said caught his attention, Chet leered down Dick's shirt. Dick's hand jumped up to clutch the neck of his shirt tightly closed.

"Hey! Back off, Chet!" Robin warned him. "No peeking at the merchandise! I'm not really your girlfriend, you know."

"Aw, baby, don' be like that!" Chet nuzzled Dick's neck, snuffling. "You shmell go-o-o-od!"

Dick had had enough. He stomped on Chet's foot and squeezed the pressure point in his hand to escape, but Chet didn't even flinch. In fact, he pulled Dick into a big hug; shoving Dick's face into his chest, inches from his sweaty armpit. Dick gagged and shoved ineffectively against the amorous buffoon.

"Wally!" He screeched.

* * *

**So much better . . . Trust me!**

**Reviews are nice! (HINT)**


	14. Stranger in My Skin pt 13

**If you read chapter 12 and it didn't contain DRUNKS, then go back and reread it. I rewrote the last 1/3 of the chapter. It had gone dark on me, and I wanted something really funny! I promised funny . . . I think I delivered! It is much, much better now, and this chapter will make a heck of a lot more sense. :D**

**Language . . .**

* * *

Wally spun around at the sound of his name. It had sounded like a muffled scream, and in Robin's new voice! He gaped to see his best friend being smothered in the arms of some lumbering behemoth.

"What the hell," he gasped. He had only left Robin a few minutes ago. How could she . . . (Drat) _he_ get into so much trouble so quickly?

The waitress tugged on his jacket. "Oh, that's just Chet and his crew. They don't mean no harm. They're just a little drunk, that's all. I'm sure they won't hurt your little cousin." She eyed the commotion with a critical eye. "In fact, they seem to have taken a shine to her."

Wally didn't think that Robin was appreciating the attention, however. He . . . Um, _she_ (?) wouldn't have shrieked for him, if that was the case. He looked at Allison regretfully.

"Sorry, but I promised my dad I would look out for her," he said.

Allison tucked a piece of paper with her number on it into his jacket pocket. "Call me later, then. After your cousin goes home."

He smiled at her and then zipped over to Robin as fast as he was able to get away with as a civilian.

"I think the lady would like for you to let her go now," Wally told the guy, trying not to snicker at calling Robin a lady.

The dark-haired brute turned around to face Wally, and nearly fell on his face, he was so drunk. It was a close thing, and he very nearly took Robin down with him. He could tell that Robin was actually struggling to push the guy off of him . . . Er, _her_.

Jeez, how strong _was_ this guy anyway?

"Oho, sho, you're the boyfriend," Brutus said, glaring at Wally.

Wally goggled. Robin must be feeling pretty desperate if she would willingly call Wally her boyfriend.

"Um . . . Yeah, that's right. And you're kind of squishing my girlfriend at the moment. Do you think you could let her go now," Wally asked, thinking he might be able to get them both away quickly enough without raising too much suspicion.

"NO!" The guy yelled in Wally's face. "You are a terrible boyfriend! My lil' Robin desherves sho much better'n you!" He poked a finger into Wally's chest, shoving the speedster back a couple of steps. "You are a man-whore!" He declared to the entire restaurant.

Robin laughed, and then seemed to remember he needed Wally's help. He gasped. "Wait, Chet, you don't understand! Wally's my soul-mate! We _love_ each other!"

"Wait! What?" Wally gasped in reply. "Oh . . . Oh, yeah! She's right, Chet! She's my little pudding pop!" He was getting into the role now that the initial shock was wearing off. He ignored the glare Robin sent him from around Chet's massive forearm. "I couldn't live without her!"

Chet ignored Wally's declaration for one of his own. He looked down at Robin; crushed. "You don mean that, shugarlump! I loves you!"

He squeezed Robin into another massive hug; one hard enough to make several of Robin's ribs creak in protest and causing the young teen squeak in distress. Wally finally moved in and grabbed Rob's hand, intending to tug his friend free. Unfortunately, Chet's friends took exception, and Eddie's hand clamped on Wally's wrist with bruising force.

"No handsh on Chet'sh new girlfriend," Baldy growled, slurring.

"Rob was my girlfriend first," Wally burst out, ignoring how ridiculous he sounded.

"You have Allisham, now. You can't have two girlfriends," Sam declared hotly. "Everyone knowzzat!"

Wally opened his mouth and closed it. Damn! He really screwed this up . . . He shook his head and stepped forward aggressively; almost as if he expected three hulking giants to be intimidated by his fifteen year old self.

"It doesn't matter," he shouted at them. "Rob wants you to let her go, so you need to let her go!"

"Or what," Chet looked at him; his happy drunken demeanor suddenly nowhere to be found.

Wally's eyes widened, and he gulped. "O-or . . . I'll make you?"

He winced. He hadn't really meant to make that sound like a question. He glanced at Robin, and saw her struggling to get free of the stranglehold Chet had on her. She stomped his foot in a way that made Wally's foot throb in sympathy, but Chet didn't appear to even notice. Did the man even have nerve endings?

"Let me go, Chet," Robin snarled. "I mean it! Let go right now!"

Chet's eyes were all for Wally, but he did let go; only when he did, it was to shove Robin into Sam waiting arms. Robin used his newly-discovered oxygen to place a few well-aimed punches into Sam's side and kidneys. Sam did flinch and let go; looking more like Robin hurt his feelings than she did Sam's ribs.

Chet, meanwhile, was facing off with a slightly worried Wally. Robin turned to help his friend with the lummox just as Chet was drawing back to punch the teenager into oblivion. His elbow slammed into Robin's nose hard enough to knock Rob's feet right out from under her. She landed on the floor flat on her back.

"Ooh, Dudette," Wally commiserated. "That looked like it really hurt!"

"Now shee wha you made me do," Chet yelled at Wally. He lunged forward and grabbed the teenager.

Wally was already wincing in preparation for his demolishment, but there was no way he could have avoided Chet's hands without a burst of speed that no normal person would have been able to accomplish without suspicion. The guy was almost fast for being so big! Damn secret identities anyway! In the next instant, Wally was flying through the air. He crashed landed in the middle of a table that had several of the local football players around it.

_Well, shit_! This wasn't looking good . . .

"Hey, asshole," said the guy Wally thought might be a fullback on the team. "You ruined our pizza! You're going to pay for that!"

Wally climbed to his feet. That would leave a mark if he didn't heal up so easily. Even his black eye from Robin's fist earlier was nearly gone. He looked over at Robin to see his friend sitting up groggily and grimaced. Already Rob's nose looked swollen and red with darkening marks extending under both eyes. Her nose was broken for sure.

"Come on, baby," Chet was saying as he clumsily dragged Rob to her feet. "I'm taking you home."

Wally ignored the angry remarks from the guys at the table. He stomped toward Chet. "Get your own damned girlfriend, and quit manhandling mine!"

Eddie swung a fist at Wally's head, but he was having no more of that. He ducked, and Eddie, now overbalanced went stumbling past him and back into the group of football players who were still wiping drink, pepperoni and gooey cheese from their varsity jackets. It was like bowling for people with baldy being the ball and the teens the bowling pins.

By the time he turned around, Chet had simply thrown Robin over his shoulder like some Neanderthal. Robin's nose was dripping blood down the back of Chet's shirt. Wally picked up what was left of one of the broken chairs and slammed it into the backs of Chet's knees. When the giant started falling, Robin flipped out of the way; somersaulting once to land off balanced. She stumbled into Sam.

A body hit Wally from behind and he fell across Chet; the body on top of him knocking all the air out of him. The football players were now out for a little blood themselves. Wally pushed the guy on top of him off, and climbed to his feet. His eyes went to locate Robin. Maybe they could get out of here yet.

Another man who had been sitting nearby and trying to avoid becoming involved was now attempting to rescue Robin from the third drunk. Sam pushed Rob into a booth and plowed into her rescuer. Wally motioned for Robin to come on before Chet got up. This was the best time to escape while Sam and Eddie were distracted. More people were getting involved in the brawl every minute that passed.

Robin looked sympathetically at the civilian who had attempted to help her. She glanced at Wally, shrugged her shoulders and wiped the blood from her face with what was left of her sleeve, which was dangling from her shoulder by a few threads. Just looking at her, made one think of a victim, but Rob just grinned at him and threw herself into the fray with wild abandon.

Wally was getting the impression that Robin was somehow now enjoying herself, despite the broken nose and blackened eyes. She leapt on Sam's back with a whoop! Wally smirked. Even if she wasn't a girl, no one would confuse this Robin's fighting style with that of the Dark Knight's sidekick! While Wally recognized one or two signature moves, nothing else was done with Robin's normal style and grace. This was just a knockdown, drag-out fight and the restaurant had erupted into pandemonium!

While Wally was watching Rob sweep Sam's legs from under him, Chet had gotten up and grabbed the teen by his shirt. He didn't even see the ham-fist plow into his face. When the world stopped spinning, Wally was shocked to find he was up in the air! Chet had hoisted him above his head and was preparing to throw him. Robin was running toward them, flipping and then sliding between Chet's legs, and kicking the behemoth in the crotch as she went.

_Finally_, something that Chet felt! It was as if someone had just hollered 'timber'! The tree-sized man swayed and began to topple, but not before Wally was thrown across the room. He hit two of the football players and the three of them crashed into another table. Wally lay where he landed in order to relearn how to breathe as he stared up at the ceiling.

How had their guy's night out with a twist turn into absolute chaos! Man! Going up against supervillains was looking more and more like a walk in the park.

Allison walked into his line of sight. She glared down at him with a look in her eye that didn't bode well for him. She bent, and Wally closed his eyes for a second. If she was going to hit him, he didn't want to see it coming. When nothing happened, he opened first one eye and then the other. Allison held the paper with her name and phone number written on it. She tore it up into tiny pieces as she stared him down, and then tossed the tiny, shredded pieced into the air.

"Cousin from Minnesota, huh?" She rolled her eyes and walked away.

Wally heard her speak again off to his left. "Honey, you could do a hell of a lot better than him."

Wally turned his head and just as Allison stepped over Robin and left the restaurant.

"See, baby? I tol' you, you disherve better," Chet said, apparently harboring no hard feelings at what Rob had done to his gonads.

Robin was lying on the floor with Chet's hand wrapped around her ankle. She met Wally's gaze and smirked as she tried to get up and then collapsed again with a groan. Wally frowned. Did she get hurt? Something more than the broken nose? He wouldn't be surprised. Wally thought he might even feel this himself in the morning. At the moment, his ribs and jaw were throbbing.

The door to the restaurant flew open and a couple of dozen cops came rushing in.

Wally lowered his head and resumed contemplating the water stains on the ceiling. They were so dead . . . Uncle Barry was going to kill him! That is, if he survived whatever Batman would do to him for failing to protect Robin while he . . . (Damn it) she was vulnerable.

Three cops moved into his line of vision next, staring down at him and the two guys he was still lying on. One of them was shaking his head.

Wally sighed. The night just kept getting better and better.

* * *

**For those of you who were wondering how Wally was going to get Dick out of this mess . . . The answer is: He didn't! LOL! ;D**

**So much for the monster movie marathon . . . They didn't make it back to the theater in this version either. If you were Wally, who would you choose to place your one free phone call to? Can you guess who's going to show up?**

**Despite the broken nose and black eyes and screwed up balance due to the changes in body structure and height, Robin appeared to be enjoying his . . . um, herself! A drunken brawl in the local pizzeria is probably a nice change of pace from facing villains intent on her sudden and immediate demise.**

**Would love to hear from you . . .**


	15. Stranger in My Skin pt 14

**Yes! I did it again. Not purposely, mind you, but after getting some decent sleep, I realized I should have ended this differently. I couldn't shake this new spin on it, so I determined that Fate called for a rewrite. Yes, that's correct! I rewrote the ending to this chapter. Okay, close to half, but it works out so much better this way . . .**

**Warning: Language . . . And a better ending to the chapter. (the story isn't over yet, though. Still more to come.)**

* * *

"Wallace West," the officer called.

Wally stood up and walked to the door of the holding cell he was in. As a minor, they had kept him in a cell away from the adults which he was grateful for, but he still had to share with the four football players. It had been tense for a while, but they were sympathetic towards him for taking up for his younger girlfriend.

"That cute little brunette was your girlfriend?" Todd, the linebacker had asked.

"Yeah," he said, cursing his redheaded complexion as a blush stole over his face.

"Man, she was hot!" Derek told him. "Especially when she did those flips and shit! Is she in gymnastics?"

Wally's face got hotter. "Um . . . Yeah."

Adam whistled. "Hot and flexible! You are a lucky man, West."

Uncomfortable, Wally rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Heh! Yeah."

Okay, so he wasn't the brilliant conversationalist, so sue him. Normally people were always telling him to shut up, but Wally knew he wasn't that lucky, despite what Adam, the quarterback said. His cellmates wanted him to talk about Robin, however, and Wally was many things but he didn't kiss and tell. And . . . Well, there wasn't anything to tell, since Robin wasn't really a girl and definitely not his girlfriend, but that was the story going around and it certainly wasn't like he could tell them the truth anyway. Not that they would have believed him if he were stupid enough to try . . .

So, when the police officer called his name, it was all he could do not to zip over to the door at the speed of sound. He was pretty sure no one would have appreciated the sonic boom in an enclosed space.

"I'm Wally West," he told the officer.

The uniform unlocked the door and swung it open. "Your uncle is here to pick you up."

Wally skidded to a stop; tennis shoes screeching on the concrete floor. "M-my uncle? B-but I called my friend, Roy Harper."

The guy looked down at his clipboard. "This says it's your uncle . . . Hm, Barry Allen?"

The color leeched out of his face. He was hoping since he and Robin weren't actually being charged with anything, he just needed an adult to pick them up, and there would be no need to contact the League.

He sighed. The night had been going so well until those three, gigantic, drunken morons decided to make Robin one of the three's girlfriend. It went all downhill from there.

"Yeah, that's my uncle."

The officer looked sympathetic. "Sorry, pal, but your friend probably discovered that we couldn't release a couple of minors involved in a drunken brawl to anyone but their parents or legal guardians."

Wally nodded as he followed the officer out until what he said actually sunk in. He skidded to a second screeching halt. "Uh . . . Wait! When you said you couldn't release a couple of minors to anyone but their parents or guardians, did you mean that both mine and Robin's parents or guardians were necessary? Or did you mean that my uncle can get both of us released?"

The guy looked back at him. "Oh, no. You and your girlfriend each have to have someone picking you up individually to sign the release forms. That's not going to be a problem for you, is it," the officer asked a little concerned. The boy's pallor increased.

"Uh . . . No," he said weakly. "It's only that my . . . girlfriend's father will want to strangle me when he sees what has happened."

When Batman got a glimpse of Robin's face, Wally would be lucky if he were merely strangled. And it had already been determined that his luck had deserted him, he checked the time on the wall, two hours ago. Wally's injuries were already healing up, but two hours would have made certain that Robin's injuries would look their absolute worst!

"Has she been picked up yet," Wally asked.

"Hm, I'm not sure. I generally just handle the men. The female officer in charge of the women's section would know for sure. I can ask, if you like," he offered. He squinted at the information he had on his clipboard. "Wait! Was your girlfriend that tiny, little brunette with the broken nose?"

Wally rolled his eyes. Robin would hate it that everyone was calling her tiny and little; especially since becoming a girl had made her at least an inch or so taller than Robin had been as a boy. Sudden worry shot through him, however. He had thought that Rob had gotten more than just a broken nose at the restaurant, but he hadn't been able to speak to his friend but for a minute before being taken to the precinct in different squad cars.

"Why? Is something wrong with her?" Wally turned to face the officer.

Evidently pleased with the concern Wally was radiating, the fellow took pity on him. "I think that they either took her to the emergency room or were planning on it. I remember hearing something about it but because she wasn't my prisoner, I didn't really pay that close of attention."

"Oh, shit!"

"Hey, I'm sure everything's okay. I'll check on her for you if you like," the officer offered.

Wally looked at the guy's name. "Officer Randall, thank you," Wally said, with heartfelt gratitude. "I would definitely appreciate that."

"Sure thing," Randall told him. "You seem like a good kid."

And he did. Randall skimmed the report earlier, and it had said that the redhead had taken on three towering drunks in defense of his girlfriend. Unfortunately, he had done so inside of the restaurant and the altercation had turned into a free-for-all with a huge amount of damage and destruction caused to the property.

Randall remembered processing three towering drunks at the time indicated in the report. He eyed the normal-sized teenager with something akin to awe. Randall wasn't sure he would have taken those three on without back up, even packing his service revolver. The kid was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.

Batman was going to _kill_ him! Was going to kill him _dead_!

Wally stepped out into the front area and saw both Roy and his Uncle Barry waiting for him near the counter. He waved sheepishly, embarrassed that he had to drag his uncle here to pick him up; no matter that they weren't being charged. The police just wouldn't allow them to go 'home' without a local address, and especially not with Rob dripping blood all over her white shirt still from not only her nose, but a busted lip Wally hadn't even seen her receive.

"Hi, Roy! I'm sorry, Uncle Barry," Wally said before anyone could do anything but turn around to see him. "We just went to a movie and to get pizza. It wasn't anything that we haven't done before! Honestly, we didn't start it."

Roy started laughing the moment he saw Wally, but Uncle Barry frowned at him. His bruised jaw was probably still pretty livid, but he knew it looked better than an hour ago. His jacket was torn and covered in pizza and soft drinks, as was his pants. His hair was probably standing straight up because of all the times he had run his hands through it in his nervousness. Yeah, he was certain he looked pretty roughed up still.

Wally bit his lip. No matter how bad he looked, he dreaded when Robin walked in. Without Wally's speed healing, he knew that the delicate girl that Robin had turned into would look even worse for her bruises. Hell, even the cops were thinking about taking her to the emergency room.

As he moved over to the counter, he noticed another man with broad shoulders beneath a dark-gray, knee-length, trench coat was busy filling out paperwork. He had black hair and was wearing a black fedora hat that had seen better days. Wally wondered if he were here for one of the football players still in holding. One of the four teens had already been picked up by his mother.

When the man turned around, Wally thought something about the guy seemed a bit familiar, but he had a moustache, and Wally didn't know anyone with a moustache. The guy looked straight at him and glared. Wally stumbled and fell against the counter. Why did the guy seem to recognize him and better question: why was the fellow mad at _Wally_?

"Hey! Are you all right," Randall asked, frowning. "You told the officer that drove you here that you didn't need medical attention."

"Uh, no," Wally answered. "I'm okay. Just tripped is all." He laughed nervously. Seriously, this new guy was creeping him out.

The man nodded at him and said, "Wallace. I trust you weren't hurt badly in tonight's altercation?"

Wally sucked in his breath so fast and hard that he immediately choked. He started coughing wildly, and Randall brought him around the counter into the public area so that he could sit down.

"Hang on, kid," Randall told him. "I'll get you some water."

_The voice is different_. _Not as deep and he has a slight accent_, he thought, but there was only one person Wally knew called him Wallace with that particular tone. And he couldn't believe it! He was both awed and completely terrified at that moment. He knew his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't help it.

"Have you seen," the guy continued, "my daughter, _Robin_, since the incident."

"Uh . . . N-no, sir," Wally stammered. _Oh my God_! _It's him_! _This guy is the bloody Batman_! "We were brought here in different vehicles, and she was kept in a holding cell in the women's wing."

Officer Randall picked up the paperwork and scanned it. He cleared his throat. "Uh, excuse me, Mr. Malone. I'm afraid we need a real name on the form; not a nickname. Unless your mother named you 'Matches' on your birth certificate . . .?"

Malone? That was the name that Robin had given the police for her last name.

"My father named me," Matches Malone flicked the match in his hand with his thumbnail, and it flared to life. "Yous got a problem with that?"

Randall blinked, and Wally gave him points for not backing down. "Sorry, Mr. Malone, but there is no smoking in the building. Um, you don't have a problem with that, do you?"

Matches smiled tightly and pinched the flame between two fingers. He flicked the smoldering stick into the glass of water that Randall was holding for Wally.

"Nah, no problem t'all," he said. "Now, how's about somebody brings me up my kid? She ain't done nothing wrong, right? So's why are yous guys holding her up?"

Roy was looking on with amusement. He obviously didn't believe half of Wally's tale of woe, so his face was the one to watch when a different door opened along the back wall and a female officer escorted Wally's girlfriend, Robin Malone, to the front . . . except that wasn't what happened.

A woman ran out of the door, and skidded to a halt. Her eyes were wide and panicky, but she forced herself to calm down and waved to Randall.

"Officer Randall? I need to speak with you . . . Right away!"

Malone frowned at the woman and leaned against the counter. "What's the hold up? Where's my kid?"

The woman's eyes flicked over to encompass Malone, and even Wally could see her panic level up a notch. He frowned now as well and stood up.

"What's going on?"

Randall ignored him, and waved a hand at Malone. "I'll be right back with your daughter in a moment, Mr. Malone," he said as he moved back to meet the woman. "What's going on, Moore?"

"Sh," she hushed him softly, but not softly enough. "I wish you hadn't said that." She glanced back at them and then pulled Randall through the door leading to the women's wing.

"Are you kidding me?" Roy stared at the door the two officers just went through. "What the hell was that?"

Mr. Malone . . . um, Batman turned furious eyes on Wally. "What's going on, Wallace? Did something happen to Robin that would cause them to act like that?"

_Holy mother of_ . . . He was so going to die!

Wally shook his head. He couldn't think of anything that would cause the officers to react like that. "She had a broken nose . . ." Wally ran his hand through his hair for the hundredth time that night. "Nothing that would account for what we just saw. The female officer seemed kind of rattled though, didn't she?"

Malone . . . Batman narrowed his eyes as he glared at the door, but the police department had surveillance cameras. There was nothing they could do, but wait.

* * *

**This works out much better. ****Lesson learned . . . Don't write tired. The original wasn't bad, but this is much better for the plot. You'll have to trust me on this. **

**I doubt you'll be able to review this one if you reviewed the original, but if you hadn't and you wish to, please do! Feel free to PM me with your opinions as well.**

**Otherwise to new readers: REACTIONS?**


	16. Stranger in My Skin pt 15

**For those of you that haven't heard the news . . . I rewrote the last half of the previous chapter. It is a pretty significant change and works much better. Honestly, I never do this, and now I've done this TWICE in one story! I'm sorry, but the rewrites are sooo much better for the plot which equals for a better story over all. So, if you haven't already done this - go back about halfway down the chapter and start reading in the area that Wally sees Roy and Barry . . . **

**Warning: LANGUAGE . . .**

* * *

Dick thought he knew what he looked like when he lay down in his cell to wait for someone to pick him up; he had asked to go to the bathroom earlier, but had refused to wear one of the jumpsuits the station kept for those actually under arrest. Somehow, the idea that if he put on the jumpsuit, he would get mixed in with the actual criminals came to him and he couldn't get it out of his head. He would continue to wear the white shirt, although it was now stiff with blood and no longer white.

So, too, was his face. It ached. The whole thing ached, but he'd had worse. His nose didn't bother him too much as long as he didn't touch it. He knew it was twice its size but it didn't appear to be deformed, surprisingly. He thought sure it would be deformed based on, not only the force of the blow he had initially taken, but when he had smacked it a second time when he had face-planted near the end of the fight.

Never-take-no-for-an-answer Chet had grabbed his ankle when he had tried to run over and get Wally. Dick had heard the sirens coming, and wanted to vacate the premises before the local police arrived. He knew that Batman would have a fit if he and Wally were caught being involved in a drunken brawl; especially if they were at the center of it. Of course it wasn't their fault, but Batman would have expected them to extricate themselves of it before the authorities got there.

So when Chet had grabbed his ankle and yanked, Dick hadn't been able to save himself in time. The jerk had lifted his feet right off the ground and Dick's face had taken the brunt of the fall, smacking what was left of one of the tables that had been demolished early on. It had busted his lip and sent shooting pains spiraling out from his broken nose. Dick had seen stars! He had vaguely remembered Wally's waitress saying something to him, but he didn't hear a word past the ringing in his ears.

When the stars had finally cleared out, he had opened his eyes to find an EMT leaning over him, and shoving packing into his nostrils while police had been milling about. Officer Tonya Moore had also been standing over him, looking concerned. They had wanted to take him to the emergency room and Dick had, of course, refused outright. That was just what they needed, even more paperwork filled out on a girl who didn't exit. Worse yet, however, would be if someone decided that they needed his fingerprints. Everyone would be left wondering how this girl was walking around with Richard Grayson-Wayne's fingerprints. He couldn't afford those kind of questions!

He had decided to play the weeping damsel, which wasn't too hard after just having cotton shoved up his broken nose. Chet had almost made up for his crimes by declaring his undying love for Robin as the police had dragged his drunken ass off. Officer Moore had looked at him in a motherly fashion after that and had taken down his every sobbing word. Dick made certain to make Wally look the hero, and how he had tried to extricate his girlfriend from the clutches of the amorous drunks peacefully.

It was, amazingly enough, the truth. In fact, if Dick had just left with him at the first opportunity, as Wally had wanted, most of what followed wouldn't have happened. This was his fault. He would make sure that Batman knew that.

When he had arrived back at the station, he and Wally had only a couple of minutes with enough privacy to get their story straight. Dick insisted that Robin's last name be Malone, knowing that it would enable Bruce to pick him up without alerting the cops of his identity and linking Robin, the girl, with the billionaire, Bruce Wayne. That last thing any of them needed was a media frenzy and push their possible exodus out of Gotham City and the U.S. that much closer. Luckily, no one questioned anything he had told them, but because there were too many minors involved in the altercation, he would have to wait for Matches Malone in a holding cell in the women's wing.

At least he had the cell to himself. There were a couple of other women in a separate cell, but they kept an empty cell between them. Dick had wondered after Wally a bit; the speedster had gotten tossed across the room a couple of times and had taken a few punches during the brawl. Sure, his friend healed at super speed, but it still had to hurt, and if he had a complicated broken bone, it would need to be realigned before it healed wrongly. But then again, if Wally had been hurt that badly, they would have insisted on taking him to the emergency room.

Dick had ignored the cooing and comments coming from the other occupied cell, and lay down on the bunk bed. Exhaustion was pressing down on him like a physical force. His entire body ached and so did his head. He couldn't have been asleep that long, but his sleep had been fraught with dreams. He woke up briefly; enough to realize that he was feverish, but despite the rise in body temperature, Dick was sweating heavily. He tossed and turned; the voices of the other women penetrating his dreams on occasion, but never enough to actually wake him up completely.

Eventually, however, the discomfort level became great enough to drive him to consciousness. He woke panting and moaning, rolling on his bunk in an effort to find some relief. Relief wasn't accommodating him, unfortunately, as the discomfort eased into outright pain. His nose was forgotten as his headache intensified; his body's aches doubled him up. He was barely aware of the women in the other cell yelling for help.

* * *

Officer Tonya Moore opened the door to the women's holding cells; the screams of the two adult women attracting her attention. The sergeant on duty had just called her to tell her the minor girl's father was here to pick her up, and Moore had taken a liking to her. It would be better to get her out of here as soon as possible, especially if the other women were acting up.

What she was expecting and what she got were polar opposites. The women weren't screaming insults or fighting at all. They were clinging to the bars of their cell and yelling for help. Moore took three steps to reach them before she realized that they were pointing the girl's cell. Moore turned to look and gasped. What had happened?

She rushed into the cell and knelt at the girl's side. She was keening in her misery. Moore ran a hand over her forehead and discovered that the girl was burning up and yet was dripping wet with sweat. She was curled into a fetal position and clutching her middle like she was dying!

Moore pushed up her hair and cooed to her to open her eyes, but instead gasped when she caught her first glimpse of her face! The broken nose was the same and the cut on the lower lip was the same . . . What wasn't the same was the person they belonged to!

"What the fuck!" Moore scrambled back and fell on her ass in her shock.

She leapt to her feet and yelled at the women. "Where the hell is the girl? How'd this boy get in here?"

And how the hell had he switched clothes with Robin? Was the girl running around in his clothing or was she naked? How could this have happened?

The women were startled. They looked at each other in confusion. The brunette in the gold spandex and heels answered while the poofy blonde in the bustier and mini skirt simply stared, perplexed by her questions?

"What do you mean," the brunette asked. "That's the same kid you brought in a couple of hours ago? She fell asleep and was having some terrible dreams, but then she started moaning and rolling around like she was having an appendicitis attack or something?"

The blonde was nodding her head hard enough to set her aquanet saturated hair bobbing. "What she said. Ain't nobody came in 'cept you."

"Is she having an appendicitis attack," the brunette asked. "I had one of those once. It is awful! Is that what's wrong with her?"

Moore gaped at the women, and then dropped her eyes to the writhing teenaged boy on the cot. She didn't know whether or not he was having an appendicitis attack or not, but he was definitely not a she; and he was supposed to be! She dropped back down beside him and tried to rouse him out of his pain-induced stupor.

"Hey, you," she called to him. "What's your name? How'd you get in here?"

The boy, instead of answering her, let loose a wail from between clenched teeth. Moore was starting to feel a little afraid for him. His temperature alone was reason to worry. However he got into this cell and wearing young Robin's clothes didn't matter as much as getting him medical attention.

"Hang on," she told him. "I'll be right back! I promise. I'm going to get you some help."

The boy finally opened his eyes and Moore's mouth fell open. She was looking into the amazing eyes of Robin, but in the face of an unknown boy! How? Maybe he was her twin, she thought a little hysterically. But it still didn't explain how he had gotten into a police station and into a locked cell and replaced the girl being held within without the other two prisoners noticing. And where had the girl gone?

Moore shook her head, and scrambled to her feet.

"Just hold on," she reassured him. "I'm going to get help."

Moore turned on her heel and ran, barely remembering to close the door behind her. She was a little afraid the she would return and find the boy gone also. She needed to get Randall and then call for an ambulance!

As she burst through the door, Moore was confronted by a roomful of people, including the girl's boyfriend, and suddenly remembered that the girl's father was here to pick her up. Everyone in the room turned to look at her expectantly.

_Shit, shit, shit_!

* * *

**Weren't expecting that, were you?**

**REACTIONS? OPINIONS? COMMENTS? **


	17. Stranger in My Skin pt 16

**Warning: Language . . .**

* * *

"Look," she said, waving Randall into the cell. "See for yourself!"

The girl looked ill alright. Randall gave her that. He looked at Moore. "Why didn't you just tell the girl's father and call 911?"

"Look. At. Her!" Moore pointed at the moaning teen.

Randall hadn't gotten but a glimpse of the girl when she was brought in. He had had his hands full processing four football players, three drunken giants, one redheaded teenager, and a partridge in a pear tree. He walked over and knelt beside the bunk. Like he would know what to look for . . . He pushed her hair back and bent a little to get a better look at her face and . . .

Randall blinked.

"What the hell? Who's this," he asked.

"That's what I want to know," Moore crossed her arms. "That is _not_ the person I put into this cell a little more than two hours ago! And those two," she said, waving an arm in the direction of the two curious hookers, "swear that the girl never went anywhere. And yet . . ."

"And yet where the hell is she? We've got her parent upstairs who looks like trouble with a capital 'T' demanding to get his daughter back!" Randall growled. Why the hell did things like this have to happen on his shift? Although this was the first time a prisoner had turned into the opposite sex before.

"You don't think the girl and this boy are a part of some magician's show, do you?" He kind of felt silly even bringing it up.

"You mean, magic?" Moore looked at him dubiously for a moment before laughing. "It can't be any worse than my idea that Miss Robin Malone is running around the station naked." She sighed, and any laughter disappeared like it never existed. "So, what are we going to do?"

Randall glanced at her, and then turned back to the boy. He shook his shoulder. "Hey! What's your name? Can you tell me your name, son?"

The boy opened his eyes; panting for breath. "W-what?"

Moore grimaced. "I think he's delirious. Did you feel his forehead?"

"Can you tell me your name and how you got in here," Randall repeated.

The boy closed his eyes and groaned; clutching his legs to his chest.

Randall stood up; rubbing a hand over his mouth. He sighed. "We don't have a choice. We're going to have to explain to the girl's father that she is missing. Look, I'll tell the father, and you can dial the ambulance for the boy."

Moore shook her head. "No. I lost the girl. I'll tell the father. You call the ambulance for the boy. We're going to have to find out who he is, though, so we can contact his parents."

Randall frowned. "You know, I didn't do much more than glance at the Malone girl when she was brought in, so tell me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't this boy look an awful lot like the girl?"

Moore nodded reluctantly. "I thought the same thing, too. But there are just too many questions . . .

"Go ask the father if he has a son, and if his kids are twins or something." Randall suggested.

"What? You are thinking that the twin brother had someone break his nose like his sister's and then dress to match, blood stains and all, and then snuck into the cell in her place . . . because _why_?" Moore asked.

Randall shrugged. "That Malone character upstairs looks like a hard case. Maybe he beats his kids. Maybe the boy did this to save his sister?"

Moore tilted her head as she eyed the miserable teen. "That's a pretty big leap. I'm more concerned with getting him medical treatment and finding the girl."

Moore looked around the room. The women's wing contained six separate cells and bars on all sides not containing a concrete block wall. There was nowhere that the girl could hide, and even if someone could convince Moore that she had gotten through two locked doors, the building still contained several cops at any given time throughout the night. She couldn't imagine either kid slinking through the place unnoticed.

"I want to check the video footage," she announced to Randall. "I want to see how this was done, don't you? I'm beginning to think that the two of them being escape artists is our best theory."

"We can check the video later; after we deal with the most immediate issues." Randall closed the door behind him, and then opened the door leading to the rest of the station. "Let's go get this done so we can start that search for the girl."

Moore sighed again, shook her head, and then followed Randall out. She was watching the end of a promising career in law enforcement go up in flames . . .

* * *

Wally watched Mr. Malone pace in front of the counter; his eyes on the door the two officers disappeared behind. He reminded him of a caged tiger more so than a bat at the moment. Roy was frowning and leaning against the wall with his arms crossed while his Uncle Barry checked Wally over for injuries. The one certainty they all agreed on was that no one was leaving without Robin!

Wally wanted to beg Batman's forgiveness for the fiasco, but couldn't with the police sergeant occupying the desk. He should have just grabbed Robin and left; even if it meant risking discovery. He could have managed it without ending the world, Wally thought. It wasn't like he had to create a sonic boom in order to have gotten Robin to safety.

Wally's thoughts were interrupted when the door to the women's wing finally opened, and the two officers came out; splitting up. Randall headed over to a desk and picked up a phone while the female officer called Moore made her way over to the counter . . . Alone. Wally stood up and moved to the counter. Roy straightened from the wall, his arms falling to his sides. Barry stood up, but waited in front of the bench where they had been sitting. Batman . . . Malone placed both hands on the counter and leaned in a bit. It was intimidating as hell, and Wally was grateful that he wasn't on the receiving end of the man's glare.

"Mr. Malone," the officer greeted him as she approached.

Malone wasn't having any of it. "Where's my daughter?"

"I'm Officer Moore," she continued.

That she didn't answer Malone's question immediately set everyone on edge. What the hell was going on? Where was Robin?

"I don't care who you are," Malone growled. "Where the hell is my kid?"

Moore seemed to deflate, and her expression suddenly reflected her worry and upset. Wally shot his Uncle a worried look and moved closer. Roy left the wall to stand near Malone's shoulder.

"Mr. Malone," she began again. "I have to ask you this, please. Do you have a son?"

Wally blinked. _A son_?

Malone narrowed his eyes at the woman. After a long moment, he asked her his own question. "Why do you want to know?"

Moore blew out her breath and repeated her question. "Do you have a son?"

Batman came to a conclusion, and Malone eventually nodded. "I do. What this about? I was called in here because yous guys said my _daughter_ was involved in an altercation at a local eatery. What's my _son_ got to do with anything?"

"Are they twins," Moore asked. "Your son and daughter?"

"Yes," he finally admitted. "Now, will yous explain to me what my son has to do with y'all not releasing my daughter?"

"I-I don't know how to tell you this, Mr. Malone," Moore cast a helpless glance at Randall where he was talking on the phone near the sergeant. "But I cannot seem to locate your daughter at the moment. She wasn't in the cell that I had placed her. A boy around the same age that shares a remarkable resemblance with your daughter is in her place. Stranger still, he is wearing what I believe is his sisters' clothing and has identical injuries on his face. I-I can't explain it yet, but I will soon," she promised him.

Wally's eyes widened. He glanced at Malone and thought that maybe he glimpse the slightest edge of relief.

"Can yous at least bring my boy out to me, then?" Malone asked her.

The worry line was back between her brows. "I would, but he appears to be ill. Officer Randall just called for an ambulance to transfer him to the hospital."

"Ill? How's that," Malone was back to growling.

Moore tugged on her earlobe. Wally recognize it as a nervous tic.

"He is feverish and in considerable discomfort. We're not sure how he came by his injuries since no eye witness placed anyone fitting his description at the scene. To be on the safe side, we're calling for an ambulance."

Malone frowned. "No ambulance."

Moore looked shocked and even Randall had looked up from talking to 911 dispatch. "It's a safety precaution, Mr. Malone. One that I feel is necessary considering his physical state. He might have other injuries not apparent to a sweeping glance; internal injuries are possible."

Malone glanced at Wally. Wally shrugged. He hadn't been able to watch Robin throughout all of the fight. It was possible that she . . . um, _he_ (?) might have received a serious blow that Wally hadn't witnessed.

"No ambulance," Malone repeated.

"At the moment, the boy is in police custody. We have the ability to authorize any treatment we might feel is in the child's best interest." Moore challenged him. "And then there is the small matter of how he managed to enter a police station unnoticed and enter a cell in the women's wing through two locked doors."

Wally almost missed it. Malone's fingers on one hand flicked in a peculiar pattern. A code? He couldn't help but glance back at his Uncle, but both Barry and Roy had disappeared over the course of the past minute while Wally's attention had been on the drama unfolding in front of him. For his uncle, the Flash, a minute could be a lifetime; full of numerous possibilities and opportunities.

Even watching for it, Barry appeared again so suddenly that Wally himself had almost missed it. The double click of a door closing twice sounded as Barry Allen took up Roy's spot at the wall and casually shoved his hands in his pockets. Roy remained mysteriously absent. Barry looked at Wally and winked; his lips twitching up at some hidden amusement.

"No ambulance," Malone continued to insist without a hint that anything untoward had happened while Moore's attention had been focused on him. "I will take him to our family's physician. If she agrees he needs to go to the hospital, I will take him myself."

* * *

Officer Moore pursed her lips. She didn't like it, but the man _was_ offering to see that the boy got medical treatment. They had no proof that Malone was anything other than an upstanding father, even if there was reasonable doubt that he was an upstanding citizen.

"I'm not sure he's capable of walking at the moment, and we still need to see whether or not he's truly your son."

"I want to see him," Malone demanded immediately. "He and his sister looked as close as twins can while being different genders. Robin even wears her hair cut like his; short in the back and sides and long on top. Both have black hair and blue eyes. They are thirteen years old."

As far as identification went, it wasn't half bad. She met Randall's gaze. He shrugged.

"Men aren't generally allowed in the women's wing . . ." She began.

"Take me to my son," Malone said in no uncertain terms.

"We don't even know the boy's name," Moore searched for information.

Malone didn't argue. "Richard," he snapped. "His name is Richard Malone . . . After his grandfather."

Moore sighed. "Okay," she said finally, waving him around the counter and through a metal detector. "You'll have to empty your pockets of anything metal."

Malone slapped car keys and a handful of coins on the counter and stepped through. Wally didn't even blink when the metal detector beeped. He would have been more surprised if it hadn't.

Moore had just reached for the wand when Malone pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket with a fancy, silver money clip attached. He promptly turned his pockets inside out in both his pants and took off his trench coat.

"I expect it back," he said, tossing the cash with the other metal objects. He laid the coat next to it.

Moore raised an eyebrow, but didn't question where he had gotten so much cash. She waved at the pile.

"You can take it with you," she told him; setting the wand back down, apparently appeased.

Wally knew better. Malone had dozens more metal objects hidden on his person beneath his clothing, but by saving the money until after he set off the alarm and by emptying out pockets of his outer clothing; it made the officers present satisfied rather than suspicious. But, of course, this was Happy Harbor, Rhode Island; not Gotham City, New York. Gotham City cops would have been suspicious enough to have wanded his socked feet. Here, they handed you back your coins and money clip and then waved you on through.

* * *

**REACTIONS? OPINIONS? COMMENTS?**

**In one of my other stories, "Last Chance", I placed Gotham City and Bludhaven in Illinois, just south of Chicago and on Lake Michigan. Don't ask me how I came up with that; I have no idea . . . **

**But I have also heard that Gotham City was originally supposed to be across the river from NYC, in New Jersey. I'm following what Young Justice had established even though in the series, Gotham City was located between NYC and Boston. AND even though I laugh to imagine Batman being intimidating while talking in an accent similar to that of JFK.**


	18. Stranger in My Skin pt 17

**Warning: Language . . .**

* * *

Roy Harper shouldn't even be here. He wouldn't be if not for a late night phone call from Wally West. He had to admit, he hadn't been expecting Wally telling him that he and Robin needed picked up from Happy Harbor Police Department before morning and to not tell anyone else.

Come on, with a phone call like that, how could he _not_ show up?

To make it even more enticing, the speedster had to explain that Robin was there as a "civilian" going by Robin Malone. Malone? Where the hell did the two come up with that moniker? And then Wally had finished with the real kicker, that Robin Malone was a thirteen year old . . . _girl_!

At first Roy had thought Wally was suddenly talking about a real girl; someone he was dating, but then with a few carefully worded questions and answers, Roy learned that Robin Malone was Batman's Robin . . . And that Robin was currently and in actuality a girl!

Roy practically flew there. This he had to see . . .

Of course, he didn't believe any of it. He showed up entirely expecting to discover that the whole thing was just an elaborate prank, but was surprised when the sergeant in charge told him with a serious face, that only parents or legal guardians could pick of minors when they had been involved in an altercation that had included alcohol. He would need to contact someone for Wallace West and for a girl named Robin Malone. He had been assured that no charges were being pressed against the young teens; that is was a clear cut case of self-defense.

So, Roy did the only thing he could do; he called the Justice League. Through them he contacted Wally's uncle, Barry Allen, aka The Flash, and Robin's partner, Batman. But Roy didn't go home. Nope! He was waiting to see these two when they were finally released into their guardians' custody. He only made certain that Batman knew that Robin was using the last name Malone. Interestingly, Batman accepted that information calmly. Shockingly, Batman accepted the tale that Robin was there in the guise of a girl.

Oh no! Roy was going nowhere any time soon

* * *

So, Roy was present when the sergeant started explaining the events of the evening; how a drunk had decided that Miss Robin Malone was his next girlfriend and when her 'boyfriend' Wally West had tried to extract her the situation had escalated until the entire restaurant was in an uproar. There had been a total of seventeen people involved, and of that number ten were being charged with anything from disturbing the peace, vandalism, and assault &amp; battery. None of the minors were being charged as all of them had been acting in self-defense.

Barry Allen shook his head. "The kid should have just grabbed Robin and ran."

Matches Malone had come in and had to have the story repeated for him. Roy had stared hard at what looked to be an obvious small-time crook, but when he had asked after his 'daughter', Robin, Roy had suddenly realized that he was staring at the Batman in disguise. He determined it was a disguise since the Batman didn't sport a moustache and this guy looked to be similar in size and bulk to Batman.

Malone grunted in response, but Roy took that to be a sign of agreement.

"Don't be too quick to be hard on the kid," the sergeant told them as he handed out paperwork that needed to be filled out before the kids to be released. "I was here when they brought in the drunks."

Malone paused in his writing to look up at the sergeant. "Drunks? I thought you mentioned just one drunk."

The sergeant, Roy noticed his name was Baker, pursed his lips and leaned back in his creaky chair. "Oh, there was only one drunk apparently in love at first sight with your daughter, Mr. Malone, but he had two other friends with him that were as certainly intoxicated as the first one. Normally, Chet and his buddies are just good ol' boys, you understand; a little too fond of the sauce, but in general not troublemakers.

"Good thing, too," he laughed. "The three of them look like the first-string, line of defense for a professional football team. Sam is the shortest of the three and he's six feet, three inches. Anyway, your nephew, Mr. Allen, stood up to all three of them in defense of his girlfriend, and barely managed to get out of it without having his ass handed to him. Five of the ten fully-grown adults being charged are being treated in the local emergency room as we speak. Paramedics wanted to take the teens there for a once over, but both were adamant in their refusal."

Roy figured that Robin didn't want to go to the hospital because '_she_' didn't want them discovering that '_she_' wasn't a female, after all. He wondered what they were doing at the time of the altercation. _Something undercover_, he decided. He'd have to stick around after all this was over so he could get the details out of those two.

When Wally was escorted out, Roy burst out laughing. The kid was covered head to toe with pizza. At least he didn't go hungry while waiting for them. He blushed and blurting out excuses before he had made the counter separating them, and Roy knew the exact moment when he realized who the third guy present was. However, when the female officer came into the room without Robin in tow, Roy was immediately concerned. Even a broken nose wouldn't have prevented the boy from walking a few feet to freedom. She waved the other officer to the back with her in an entirely suspicious manner.

"Are you kidding me? What the hell was that?" Roy blurted.

Both officers reentered a short time later, again without Robin. Worry became palpable in the air. Wally stood up and Roy stepped closer to the counter to hear what Officer, Roy looked at her name, Moore had to say.

Robin must have shed his girl personae although why he would chose to do it while still in custody, Roy was clueless. Maybe it had something to do with the illness that the officer was telling them about.

"And then there is the small matter of how he managed to enter a police station unnoticed and enter a cell in the women's wing through two locked doors," Officer Moore was saying.

Roy recognized the hand gesture Batman gave them behind their back, and the next thing he knew he and Barry were standing in a stairwell.

"What the hell, Barry? Give a guy a bit of warning before doing that, will you?" Roy groused, waiting for his stomach to catch up with his body.

"Sorry," Barry had the grace to blush for the speedster faux pas. "Just in a hurry. Look, you need to find the security tape of whatever is happening in Robin's cell and corrupt it. Then head down for evidence and get any tapes of the fight from the restaurant while you're at it. Replace them with blanks if you can manage it. Do you think you can handle that?"

Roy was insulted. "And what are you going to be doing?"

"I'm going to get Robin out of the cell and get him back to the mountain. I'll meet you outside after I get back and retrieve Kid," Barry told him.

"Right," Roy looked at his watch. "Ten minutes?"

Barry's lips edged into a smile. "If you think it'll take you that long."

"Oh, ha-ha," Roy snarked sarcastically, but Barry was already gone.

He shook his head as he headed to the area he needed. Flash was probably already depositing Robin in the medical bay at the mountain as he trotted up the stairs. Kid Flash was fast, but Flash could reach speeds that were truly mind-boggling.

* * *

**REACTIONS? OPINIONS? COMMENTS?**

**It is good to have friends . . . **


	19. Stranger in My Skin pt 18

**No Warnings . . . **

* * *

Matches Malone followed Officer Moore past several desks to the door she had just exited from just a few minutes before. Moore took out her keys and unlocked the second door at the end of a short hallway. Malone searched the cells as soon as he passed into the portal. He saw the two streetwalkers immediately. They were standing at the bars and looking into another cell.

The Batman in him kept his cool, but the Bruce that lay just beneath the thin veneer of makeup and prosthetics was a little shocked by his reaction to seeing his child drenched in blood. The mask of Matches Malone wasn't the same kind of protection that normally stood between Bruce and the violence that often stained their world. Sure, he could stay in character, but when Malone's reactions so closely paralleled those of the man that wore him . . . Well, a lot more of Bruce came through than he was comfortable with.

Even now, Alfred was touching down at the Happy Harbor airport in the WE company jet with everything they might need, and a remote ready to set off carefully placed explosions around the Batcave and the manor. If he needed to grab Dick and go, there would be no going back. All he knew was that he wasn't going to lose the son he had only so recently adopted. Clark, Barry, Diana . . . They all thought that justice was the most important thing in the world to him; that he put the mission above everything else, but they were wrong.

Matches Malone kneeled carefully next to the lower bunk, one hand brushing back the familiar black hair. Was Dick really back?

To anyone who truly knew him, knew that family was more important than his companies, his wealth, his social standing; more important ultimately than even justice. The mission wasn't even a close second despite what those around him might think. He would sacrifice anything for Alfred if he had to, but for the child that lay in front of him, Bruce would give up everything!

He had prepared for this possible eventuality the day he first petitioned the court to adopt Richard John Grayson three years ago. Charges at every entrance to the Batcave had been set in place years before, but when Dick came to them, _became_ so much to them, it was then that Bruce and Alfred had added more. This eventuality wasn't to prevent discovery so much as to remove every last vestige left of the Batman. If they had to choose this course, there would be nothing left; no shiny gem would remain under the rubble to tempt them to return.

Of course, with his family close around him, Bruce wouldn't have a need to.

"Wake up," he crooned. "It's time to go."

Lids with long, dark lashes fluttered at the sound of his voice. Features that were soft and delicate turned up to greet him as those lush lashes opened to reveal glowing _green_ eyes that slowly changed to blue. It was an amazing transformation, but the blue was a little bit off; not quite that indescribable color that belonged only to his son . . . Or in this case, his daughter.

Miss Martian had arrived.

That meant that Barry had been successful at retrieving Dick from the cell. No alarms had sounded, so no one was aware of the changes made; even the prostitutes seemed unaware of the change. He wondered how Barry and M'gann had managed to pull that off, but his questions would last until everyone was back at the mountain and safe. Malone smiled down at the girl on the bunk. She smiled back. The scab on her lower lip pulled uncomfortably. Her nose was swollen and mottled with several shades of purple, black, and red. The bruising extending out to encompass both eyes.

All in all, she looked ghastly; and to Bruce, quite beautiful. Relief flooded him, making him a little wobbly. Maybe they wouldn't have to run just yet.

"Hello, Robin," Malone said.

"Hi . . . Dad," she returned.

There was only the slightest hesitation. Nothing that the officer struck dumb behind him would notice. Malone stood, and held out his hand. Taking it, Robin/M'gann stood up and swayed slightly.

"How're yous feeling?" he asked. "Officer Moore here said yous had a fever and was feeling sick."

Things tended to happen too fast around the Flash. He needed to make certain she understood how she was supposed to act in front of the police officers. Taking the hint, Robin/M'gann leaned against his side.

"Tired and sore," she answered him. "Better now that you're here to pick me up."

Malone slipped a supporting arm around her, protectively. There was a tingling at the outer edge of his consciousness. M'gann looking for more clues to cement their act.

"Did Richard come with you," she asked innocently.

Malone's lips twitched and he glanced over in Moore's direction. She was gaping at the two of them. He turned back to his '_daughter_'.

"I thought that maybe he had, but I guess that weren't nothing more than a nasty rumor," he told her with only the slightest bite of sarcasm allowed through.

"I-I don't understand this," Moore exclaimed finally. "I swear that when I came in here before she was a boy!"

Malone lifted an eyebrow at her outburst. He looked down at Robin/M'gann curiously. "Were yous ever a boy this evening, Robin?"

'Robin' tilted her head in confusion. "No. I think I can honestly say I have never been a boy this evening. What's going on, Dad?"

"Oh, nothing ta worry your pretty, little head over, sweetie." Malone smiled and led the girl at his side back through the door into the hallway. "Let's get yous home and see what mischief your brother has gotten into tonight."

"How is Wally?" Robin/M'gann asked. "Did his uncle come to get him yet?"

Malone let out a rusty laugh. "He's wearing take-out, but other than that he's none the worse for wear, I think. He and his uncle are waiting outside for yous."

As they came back out into the front, Robin/M'gann let out a girly squeal and ran forward to meet Wally. He looked a little startled by her act, but didn't pull away when M'gann threw her arms around his neck. She whispered in his ear, and Wally immediately relaxed into the hug.

Moore came through the door next and sat down heavily in a chair; a dazed look on her face. Randall, seeing her reaction, turned to eye the young couple and looked surprised himself. He had seen the boy in the cell alone. Where had this girl come from? He shook his head, but then his feature resettled after a moment. This made more sense that he had been mistaken in what he saw in the poor lighting in the holding cell area, than for a girl to have seriously turned into a boy or that a boy had traded places with her without the knowledge of the police officers on duty. Still, he would go with Moore in a little bit and check the security footage to see what really happened.

* * *

Batman didn't change immediately upon returning to the mountain, but strode into the medical bay in full make-up. Dick sat up unsteadily on the berth in the far corner. His sunglasses were back and perched awkwardly on his large, painful-looking nose. He still wore the clothes he had apparently been wearing out the previous night, but clean clothes were laid out beside him to change into.

"Dick, how are you feeling?" Bruce walked to him and laid a hand across his forehead. Dick looked up with glassy eyes.

The officer had insisted that he had been running a fever. And it looked as though she had been right. Dick's fever was high. Bruce moved off temporarily to find a thermometer, and returned. Dick was swaying where he sat. He didn't look completely conscious.

Another thing Moore had been correct about was that it appeared that Dick was in mid-transformation. Remembering that the boy's face had been the first thing to show change, the feminine softness he had seen in it the past day was gone. Any softness left appeared to be only related to Dick's youth.

As he waited, Bruce took note of other symptoms that the boy was experiencing. Sweating was one; despite the elevated temperature. This was probably a good thing, he decided, when he pulled out the thermometer. Dick's temperature was one hundred and two and hovering. If the boy hadn't been cooling his body by sweating, his fever could easily become life-threateningly high.

Bruce suppressed a shudder. Dick had suffered this the night he had first changed and no one knew. How easily he could have died and no one would have discovered it until someone went looking for him. Bruce tipped the boy over, carefully lowering him back down to the mattress. He wondered if he had a headache like before.

"Dick, can you hear me," Bruce asked. He tapped his face to gain his attention. "Dick, answer me. How do you feel?"

The boy moaned and scrunched up his face. His knees began drawing up against his chest, as his arms circled his abdomen. Bruce guessed the transformation was painful. He couldn't imagine it not being so what with all the changes happening to the boy physically.

The door slid open behind him and Martian Manhunter walked in with Barry and Wally. Bruce stood up.

"He's in the middle of transforming back," he said in lieu of greeting.

Wally blinked. "Cool! It isn't permanent!" He zipped over to Dick's side. "Wait! What's wrong with him?"

"I just told you," Bruce said. "The physical changes appear to be quite painful. Is there anything we can give him to help him through it?" He asked this of J'onn.

J'onn's eyes glowed a moment as he took a psychic evaluation. "No. We don't want to risk halting the transformation midway. Did he sleep through the first time?"

"Yes. At least I didn't hear him wake up during it. And he appeared to have no knowledge of the process the next morning," Bruce admitted.

"Then it would be safer, I think, to allow him to sleep through this one as well. We will keep an eye on him, however, in case something serious arises. His trouble tonight seems to be brought on by people continually interrupting the process by waking him," J'onn admonished. "I will stay and monitor his progress for the rest of the night."

"Why did the transformation start spontaneously? Did something happen tonight to trigger it," Bruce asked, as he peeled away his moustache. He left the prosthetic nose and chin in place, but spit out the cotton wadding that he used to help change the way he pronounced his words.

"I could not say without a knowledge of everything that happened. Tomorrow is soon enough for answers." J'onn told him. "I will take a blood sample, however, to study. His hormone level must be astronomical."

Bruce nodded. "His hormones were out of balance the first time as well, but I only checked it early on. I have no idea what happened after he went to bed."

Barry called to his nephew. "Wally, let him sleep. Trying to keep him conscious is only hurting him and slowing the process. Besides, Roy is back with the tapes. Maybe they can tell us something."

Bruce's gaze lingered on his son as he moved to leave. The jet was fueled and waiting. With luck, they wouldn't be needing it, but it was there should anything go wrong; their escape route. He could wait until morning. After all, he didn't want to leave Gotham, Wayne Manor, or Batman behind; the city still needed him. His businesses could be moved if necessary, but even that wasn't a concern. Bruce Wayne had off-shore accounts. They wouldn't want for much in materialistic matters . . . Bruce's gaze moved to where Wally walked with his uncle. He sighed. Morning would tell them what needed to be done.

* * *

**REACTIONS? OPINIONS? COMMENTS?**

**Say thank you to Heartbreakerninja for her comments. They got me thinking, and as a result, this chapter turned out far better than I had planned. ****I'm hoping to wrap this up in one more chapter. Depends on if I can fit everything I want into the next chapter. We'll see . . . **


	20. Stranger in My Skin pt 19

**And thanks for being so patient! I was so incredibly busy for the past week or so, and had too little sleep to write anything that made sense. ****I'm hoping you enjoy this one and it was worth the wait. I plan an epilogue to wrap this up. I think you'll like it.**

** Warning: A Little Bit of Language . . .**

* * *

It was early morning when Batman entered the training area. Furniture had been moved in here and extra chairs found and brought in. The living area with the TV was too small to fit everyone comfortably; and he did mean everyone! It looked like most of the JLA were here along with all of the members of Robin's Young Justice Team. Word traveled fast, apparently, and now everybody and their sidekick wanted to see Robin as a girl. Batman was glad that Robin was still sleeping his transformation off; he was afraid the boy would be embarrassed at all the interest.

Roy and Wally were hooking up the video feed and it looked like surround sound also. The security feed had sound? That was unusual. He saw the image flicker on a blank wall panel. This was going to feel like a movie theater, he thought. All they needed was popcorn and drinks. At that moment, Flash and Green Lantern entered the room; Hal's ring performing the task of a tray, carrying snacks and the aforementioned popcorn with drinks.

He sighed, but didn't say anything. He wanted to see the video as well, and he didn't think he would be able to get it to the Batcave to watch it first. He moved to the tray and picked up a drink. There was no way in hell he would be caught munching on popcorn, however. He still had a reputation to uphold, after all.

Everyone was taking seats. Batman remained standing in the back. He didn't want anyone to see his reactions, and he didn't doubt, based on the story told to them by the police sergeant, that he would have them. The lights went down and the murmurs died as the restaurant popped up on the screen.

The video was taken from an angle that looked over the cashier's shoulder and into the faces of paying patrons. But the view didn't stop there. It extended quite a bit further down the main aisle. On the far left, a bit of a counter could be seen, but a staggered line of tables danced just left of center and on the right a row of booths straight out of the nineteen-fifties. The second table back showed four football players that Batman assumed had been a part of the altercation; but it was the third booth on the right that the back of Wally West's head could be seen and Robin sat across from him. The view could have only been improved upon had the camera been showing the booth from the side.

The sound was a dull roar as people were chatting it up while they enjoyed their dinners. A bit of conversation could be heard if one listened carefully to the patron paying his bill at the cash register, but conversations from further back into the restaurant were nothing but murmurs. Hardly necessary as evidence.

* * *

Wally and Robin were laughing and having a good time. Robin could be seen catching toppings tossed at him by Wally in his mouth eliciting laughter and comments from all those present. Batman tightened his lips against the urge to smile. He glanced over at Roy who stood nearby, eschewing a chair himself. The young man looked flabbergasted. He threw a startled glance at Batman, but the Dark Knight merely nodded. The pretty, fun-loving girl with the short, black hair and sunglasses could indeed be identified as Robin if one was looking for it.

"I don't believe it," Roy said incredulously. He frowned and shoved a hand through his hair as he leaned forward over the back of Black Canary's seat. She looked up at him, but didn't remark as she noted the shock on his face. "My God, that is Robin, isn't it? How . . .?"

No one answered him as the waitress came up at that moment to drop the check on the table in front of Wally. She spoke with him, and merely smiled once at Robin before walking away. Robin tilted his . . . Uh, her head at the waitress' receding back, a frown was noticeable.

"What's wrong with Robin," someone up front asked.

Kid Flash coughed. "She gave me the check. The waitress assumed that we were on a date there together," he explained, blushing.

Robin made an attempt to pick up the check, but Wally pulled it away. He waved it in the air. A conversation was going on, but was lost in the ambient murmurs of the other diners. The look of Robin's face was comical, and several people laughed good-naturedly at the boy's shock. It was obvious that Robin was becoming annoyed, and then he/she seemed to relaxed and waved Wally away.

Wally stood up on the screen as if to go up to pay the bill, but stopped and leaned down to whisper something in Robin's ear. Robin looked panicked for a moment, and Wally walked to the cash register to pay as the girl bumped her head once on the table in frustration.

"What's going on there," Oliver Queen asked.

Superman answered for Kid Flash this time. Leave it to Clark to be able to sift through the many conversations to hear what is being said by those two.

"Wally wanted to impress the waitress by paying for the bill. He didn't want to be thought of as a cheapskate. He wanted to get her phone number. Robin is a little put out that he would pick up another girl while supposedly on a date with him . . . I mean, her, uh, him?" Clark shook his head as if to clear it. "There is some confusion about which bathroom Robin should use. Wally's laughing."

When everyone laughed, Kid Flash grew angry. "Hey, leave him alone. Every one of you would have felt embarrassed the same way he did!"

"You laughed, Kid Mouth," Artemis pointed out.

"That's different," KF retorted.

"Oh yeah? How so?" Artemis challenged.

"We're best friends! Best Friends are allowed to laugh at each other," he snarked.

"We are all his friends, Kid," Kaldur reminded him.

"Best bros aren't the same as regular friends," Kid told him. "We can laugh at things no one else is allowed to laugh at."

"That makes no sense, Baywatch," Artemis groused.

"It doesn't have to make sense to you to be a fact," he said.

"Quiet!" Batman told them.

As Wally came up to the register, bits and pieces of his conversation could be distinguished. Kid Flash blushed as some of his pick-up lines were heard.

"Kid, we're going to have to have a long talk," Flash groaned. Laughter punctuated the comment.

Robin could be seen standing up and picking up her cardigan, men could be seen approaching from behind. The sweater was snatched out of her hands and she turned and looked up, up, way up.

Batman straightened up, frowning. The man in the video was so tall that the top half of his head was cut off. Robin looked like she came up to the guy's chest, maybe. The two others with him were of similar height.

He blinked behind his lenses. The sergeant had told them that the drunks were like linebackers and that was no exaggeration! The one confronting Robin looked as tall and as broad as Superman easily. And they were glaringly drunk, even on the less that quality film of the security feed, it was obvious.

"Oh my God! That guy is huge," Green Lantern exclaimed.

"All three of them are huge," Flash corrected.

"What the hell are men like that doing talking to Robin," snarled Green Arrow.

Unfortunately Batman knew the answer to that. Drunks or no, they should have realized that Robin was a minor. In fact, standing beside the men, she looked even younger than thirteen! His teeth creaked, he was clenching his jaw so tightly.

"That big guy talking to Robin is named Chet," Wally said helpfully. "The blond one is Sam, and the bald guy is called Eddie."

Robin pointed toward Wally who remained oblivious to his friend's predicament. The drunk made a show at looking at the boy, and then shook his head at Robin. Robin moved to walk away when Chet grabbed her arm and yanked her up against his side. He bent down to whisper in Robin's ear, to which the girl tried to push him away.

It looked like Wally was beginning to turn around, but the waitress caught his attention by grabbing a piece of paper and writing on it. She was distracting him, it seemed on purpose, but why were none of the other patrons present intervening on Robin's behalf.

"Oh, yuck!"

Artemis' exclamation brought everyone's attention back to Robin. Chet had just licked Robin's face. He turned the girl around to apparently introduce her to his friends. They were chatting her up when Chet bent down to Robin's ear again. She shoved his face away, but he came right back, leering down the girl's shirt. Robin clutched the top but didn't' stop there. This time Robin's foot came down on Chet's and she was holding onto his hand in the way Batman had taught Robin many years ago; using the pressure point in the hand to get the assailant to release her. Instead of releasing her in a hurry, Chet yanked the girl into a hug.

"Robin just yelled my name here," Wally spoke up.

On screen, everyone could see that Wally was startled when he turned around.

"_What the hell_?" Wally's voice sounded tinny over the sound system.

The waitress could be heard trying to distract him once again by putting the paper inside of his pocket, but Wally left her to go to Robin's rescue. Kid Flash looked ridiculously small in comparison to the three grown men. Still no one else appeared eager to insert themselves into the situation. Being there as a civilian made the two teens extraction far more difficult.

Suddenly Chet could be heard yelling into Wally's face. "_NO! You are a terrible boyfriend! My lil' Robin desherves sho much better'n you_!" He poked a finger into Wally's chest, shoving the speedster back a couple of steps. "_You are a man-whore_!" He declared to the entire restaurant.

That elicited snickers from several in the audience. Even Robin seemed to laugh at first, and then he got dramatic.

"_Wait, Chet, you don't understand! Wally's my soul-mate! We __love__ each other_!" Robin declared loud enough to be heard.

Outright laughter followed that declaration.

"_Wait! What_?" Wally gasped in reply. "_Oh . . . Oh, yeah! She's right, Chet! She's my little pudding pop! I couldn't live without her_!"

Connor snorted. "Pudding pop?"

"We were trying to convince the big lug to let Robin go," Wally reminded them. "We didn't want trouble, you know!"

Chet ignored Wally's declaration for one of his own. He looked down at Robin; crushed. "_You don mean that, shugarlump! I loves you_!"

On the screen, Chet pulled Robin into another hug, and Wally grabbed her hand to pull her free, but the bald guy grabbed his arm. Wally jerked his arm free and declared, "_Rob was my girlfriend first_!"

He stepped closer to them, answering something one of the men said, angrily. "_It doesn't matter. Rob wants you to let her go, so you need to let her go!_"

Chet snarled something at Wally, but the much smaller teen didn't back down. Robin was struggling to free herself the whole while. She stomped the drunken giant's foot again, while squirming for release.

"_Let me go, Chet_," Robin yelled. "_I mean it! Let go right now_!"

Chet shoved Robin into Sam's waiting arms, where her self-defense techniques had better effect. Several things happened all at once then. Robin turned to help Wally when Chet hauled back suddenly to punch the boy. His elbow slammed into Robin's face with such force that her feet flew out from under her.

Connor's mouth dropped open in shock as Superman gasped out loud. "I heard that! He just broke Robin's nose with that elbow," Clark exclaimed.

Wally winced and started to move forward to help Robin, but Chet spun around and grabbed the teen, hauling him into the air. The next second Wally came down in the middle of the football players table. The four teen athletes jumped up as the table collapsed. As Wally climbed to his feet, Chet tossed a groggy Robin over his shoulder. Wally darted forward and ducked a punch by the bald Eddie, sending him careening into the four players. Wally didn't stop, but grabbed a broken chair and slammed it into the hulk's legs.

When the giant fell, Robin used him to flip free but landed awkwardly. One of the players suddenly smacked into Wally's back and they both fell over Chet. Wally was up an instant later. He was speeding up, but not enough to endanger his identity.

By this time, several people had joined the fight. A man tried to help Robin, but was quickly being pummeled for his efforts. Wally waved Robin to leave, but everyone saw the joyful glimpse of a grin before the girl threw herself into the midst of the brawl with a whoop!

As a girl, Robin wasn't quite as effective in a fight, although Batman was certain that she had been holding back. She did sweep Sam's legs out from beneath him. Chet, however, was climbing to his feet. Several Leaguers called out a warning to on-screen Wally. The behemoth slammed his fist into the teen's face, literally knocking the boy to the floor. He wasn't moving as Chet lifted him again. It was obvious that Wally had lost consciousness for a few seconds from that brutal blow.

He was just coming around when Robin flipped over several people to then slide across the floor and slam both feet into Chet's family jewels. Several groans were heard throughout the room, Chet hunched and tipped, but not before throwing Wally into two of the remaining football players. The second table collapsed beneath their combined weight.

Robin moved to go to Wally, only to have Chet yank her feet out from under her. One didn't need super hearing to hear her face smacking the edge of a broken table. The entire room grimaced at the sound.

"Oh snap!" Kid Flash yelped. "So that's what happened!"

Wally raised his head briefly as Robin collapsed, and then his own head dropped back. The waitress stepped over the mess and picked something up that had fallen out of Wally's pocket. When she started tearing it up, everyone realized that it was her phone number. A few sympathetic groans were heard.

"That's cold," Green Lantern said.

Kid Flash shrugged. "No loss. She distracted me from helping Rob earlier. Not cool."

* * *

A familiar cackle was heard, and everyone turned around to see the star of the security footage walking into the room, back in costume. There was only a slightest limp noticeable in his gait. If anyone was disappointed that the Boy Wonder was back in his male form, no one said anything. His nose was still swollen but already looked to be half-healed from the transformation and his lip had returned to normal.

Kid Flash grinned and held up a hand for their signature fist bump. "Alright! My best friend is back!"

Robin grinned, flung an arm around Kid Flash's neck and dragged him down into a hug. He gave the junior speedster a big, smacking kiss on his cheek.

Wally yelped and wiped at his face. "What was that for?"

Robin laughed; grinning at him. "For being my hero. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would have taken one look at those three giants and left me high and dry." He slapped Kid on the back. "And you didn't even get mad at me when I refused to leave in the middle of the brawl! Sorry for that, by the way. The guy getting pummeled by Sam was the father of three girls sitting at a nearby table. I couldn't just leave him after he tried to help."

Wally shrugged. "No prob. I figure that it'll make a great story to tell the grandkids when we get old and gray."

The smile quickly dropped off of Robin's face. "Uh, _no_! And if you, or anyone else, speak of this again, I will personally stock everything in the refrigerators here and up in the Watchtower with laxatives!"

Silence reigned for a moment, as the severity of that threat sank into everyone's minds.

"Do you see_ now _what I was talking about_?_" Superboy's voice rang out. "I'm telling you, he's **_meaner_** since he became a girl!"

* * *

**REACTIONS? OPINIONS? COMMENTS? **

**Was it worth the wait? Epilogue is coming!**


	21. Stranger in My Skin - Epilogue

**Here we go! The Epilogue and the end of the first of the MoD stories. If you truly enjoyed the story, _please_, at the end of this last chapter, make it a favorite! Send me a quickie review letting me know if it was as fun for you to read as it was for me to write! **

**No Warnings . . .**

* * *

It was the first time the Young Justice team had gone out together as friends rather than teammates in a few weeks. It wasn't a movie marathon this time that drew them, but roller skating. M'gann, Kaldur, and Connor had never had the pleasure of trying the human pastime as yet. Wally, Artemis, and Robin weaved in and out from among them laughing and shouting encouragement.

"No powers, M'gann," Robin told her as he skated by backwards. "That's cheating!"

Wally circled around Kaldur almost lazily. "C'mon, fearless leader. You can do better than that," he teased.

Kaldur pinwheeled his arms, struggling to keep his balance. "This would be less difficult, Wally, if you would not keep circling me so closely."

"Why are we doing this again," Connor grumbled. He had fallen five times already and the sidewalk behind him was laced with a network of cracks spiderwebbing the cement.

Artemis rolled gracefully by, like a ballerina on wheels. "Because it's fun, Connor."

M'gann squealed as her feet flew out from under her. Wally was there in a flash, catching her before she could give herself away by floating.

"I've got you, beautiful," he grinned, taking his ever-loving sweet time setting her back onto her feet.

"Nice save," Robin called out. "But she'll learn how to skate a lot faster if you put her down, Wally."

"It is a lot harder than it looks," M'gann admitted, blushing.

"Only at first," Artemis reassured her. "Once you find your balance, it becomes easier."

Connor snorted, and immediately lost his. He waved his arms about in a vain effort to save the sidewalk; smacking Kaldur's face with his arm by accident. Both teens slammed into the pavement with a loud crack and a jumble of limbs

Robin, Wally, and Artemis circled back around. M'gann glanced around to see if anyone was watching and followed them; her wheels barely skating the surface as she gave in to the urge to use her telekinesis for a little added control. She had no desire to repeat Connor and Kaldur's experience.

Kaldur shoved Connor's arm and shoulder off of his face, and sat up rubbing his nose gingerly. "Surfing is easier, I think. At least if you fall, the water doesn't crack under you."

Robin laughed. "No, in surfing when you fall the water just tumbles you over the sand as it scrapes off the top three layer of skin. And then there is the drowning aspect."

Kaldur smiled. "Point taken. Although, if I remember correctly, Robin, you surf as well as you skate."

It took both Robin and Wally to get Kaldur on his feet again. Artemis helped to steady him as the boys moved to assist Connor next. M'gann waved them away.

"I got this," she said. Her eyes glowed as she took Connor's hand in her own and gave him a gentle tug. Her telekinesis assisted him the rest of the way.

Connor immediately stuck out his arms again, expecting gravity to once again betray him, but M'gann kept him steady. He blew out a breath in both relief and frustration.

"You'll be sure to let me know when I start having fun, won't you?" The young Kryptonian snarked.

"Why don't we take a break," Wally suggested. "Pizza, anyone?"

"Always thinking with your stomach," Artemis commented.

"I, for one, am quite willing to take a pizza break," Kaldur said. "And enjoy the novelty of remaining stationary in relation to the world around me for a time."

"The Pizza Station's finished remodeling, and is just around the corner," Wally told them.

"The P-Pizza Station?" Robin's voice squeaked. He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, sure. That sounds great," he agreed with careful indifference.

Wally winced, realizing what he had just said. "Oh, uh, sorry, Rob. I forgot. You want to eat somewhere else?"

The team glanced at Robin curiously, but the boy flashed an obviously faked smile and shrugged. "Last one there picks up the check," he chirped, and took off around the corner as fast as his skates could take him.

"What's wrong with Robin," M'gann asked softly.

"What did you do now, Baywatch?" Artemis frowned at him.

Wally shrugged, embarrassed. "That's the place Rob and I ate at when he was a . . . you know. Where those drunks hit on him."

Artemis punched him in the arm. "Real smooth, Kid Mouth."

"What? I said I was sorry," Wally complained as the team rolled past him.

M'gann took control of Kaldur and Connor's skates for them and the three flew around the corner as if they were pros. Wally sighed. Robin had seemed to handle the transition to a girl and back with impressive composure, so how was he to know that the younger boy might still feel uncomfortable at a place where he was accosted as a female. He wasn't a female anymore, after all. In fact, Robin had taken Wally's gentle ribbing like a champ over the last few weeks. Following behind, Wally worried now if his other plan would be received with the same amount of enthusiasm as this last suggestion. He tagged along behind the others.

* * *

The place looked different, and yet the same. The owner kept the fifties diner look but instead of a hodge-podge of assorted furniture styles, it was put together perfectly. The color scheme remained bright red and chrome all the way throughout, with more booths available, and an updated, retro counter with the cool seats that would spin all the way around.

The teens oohed and aahed over the changes as they made their way to a free booth that would seat them all. With M'gann taking over for the three inexperienced skaters, they made it without mishap. They piled into the booth with a lot of talk and laughter.

Wally closed his eyes in despair when their waitress stopped beside their table to take their order. The fates were definitely out to get him today. He sighed and glanced up at Allison. She sneered down at him, but blinked at Robin sitting beside him.

"Um . . . How's your . . . Ah, sister?" Allison asked this to Robin hesitantly.

Robin smiled tightly, remembering the waitress all too well. "She's good," he answered shortly; not bothering to elaborate.

"Guess she dumped you, hm," Allison remarked to Wally, snidely.

"Actually," Robin inserted with a frown. "She went just went home; not that it is any of your business."

Artemis glanced back and forth between the three of them. She remembered how the waitress had tried to keep Wally from helping Robin, and then acted rude and unsympathetically afterwards; tearing up her phone number and leaving the restaurant without attempting to help. She slid out of her place beside Connor, and pushed the waitress out of the way as she thumbed Robin to trade places with her. She slid in beside Wally, wrapped her arm around the surprised speedster's arm, and smiled with sickening sweetness at Allison.

"You're loss is my gain," she told the gaping waitress, and laid her head on the startled speedster's shoulder. "You just can't find boyfriends who are real heroes anymore," Artemis announced.

Allison huffed. "He was trying to pick me up while on a date with that guy's sister. You can have him,"

Robin laughed. "He's our cousin," giving her the story he knew Wally had originally told her. "He only told those drunks that Robin was his girlfriend in an attempt to protect her."

Allison blinked at that. "Oh . . . Well, I didn't know that."

"You would have if you'd have taken him at his word." Artemis chimed in sweetly. "Wally's a hero. What other guy do you know who would be willing to stand up to three men who were more than twice his size?"

Allison glanced around the table and the different levels of hostility aimed at her. "Okay. You've made your point." Her face was red as she pulled out her pen and pad. "Are you ready to order?"

* * *

The pizza was preceded by several baskets of hot wings. Despite Artemis' comments about Wally's appetite, everyone was hungry and the food was devoured quickly. Ten baskets of wings and five large pizzas later, the group sagged lazily in their seats; replete. A different waitress came up with a big, brown package and handed it to Wally.

"Thank you, Wendy," Wally said, reading the waitress' nametag. He took the package and handed it to Robin.

"What's this?" Robin took the large box as his teammates piled the empty plates and trays out of the way.

Wally grinned. "Just a little something to make up for shooting you with the machine o' doom at the lab."

Robin smirked. "I forgave you for that a long time ago. You didn't have to get me anything."

Wally shrugged. "You can always return it if you don't like it."

Robin opened the package as everyone watched curiously. He removed the paper packed around the object in the box; handing it down the table where Wendy waited to take it. He reached in and pulled out a dark blue, leather bag. He frowned as he turned it right side up to look at it more closely. It seemed vaguely familiar. He found the tag.

"It's a Jack French London satchel!" He and Connor announced simultaneously.

"In your favorite color," Wally grinned; totally pleased with his surprise.

Robin gaped at him. "H-how did you . . .?" Wally hadn't been there when Robin had unwittingly admired the handbag at the mountain.

"Connor told me you wanted to replace your backpack with it," Wally explained.

Robin flashed the clone a look that should have fried him if he had Superman's heat vision. "Did he, now?"

Connor's smile slid away and he sat up alarmed. "You said you liked it!" he exclaimed. "Y-you wouldn't really put kryptonite in M'gann's cookie dough, would you," he asked in a whisper.

Robin stared at Connor for a long, silent moment, and then turned his attention to the satchel in his hand. He opened it up and peered inside after taking out the paper inside that was used to keep its shape. There was two large compartments and a zippered side pocket that was large enough for pencils and a calculator. He turned it over in his hands a few times.

"I still say it doesn't look like a ladies' handbag," he declared.

Artemis laughed. "Of course it doesn't, silly! It can be used by anyone!"

Robin frowned. "But you said your friend had one."

"She does, and so does her boyfriend, Kyle. I know several people who carry a bag just like this; guys and girls both." Artemis grinned.

Robin gaped at her a little longer, and then started laughing.

"Does this mean you like it," Wally asked.

"Wally, it's perfect! Thanks!" Robin draped the strap over his shoulder so that the bag lay on his opposite hip.

Robin ended up passing the satchel around to everyone at the table to admire. After a few minutes of this, Connor leaned over toward Robin, nervously.

"Um . . . Robin? About that kryptonite . . ." he began, quietly.

"Don't worry, Connor," Robin told him. "It's okay. I wouldn't do that to you."

The teenaged Kryptonian stared at him. "Really? And the laxatives . . .?"

"That . . . you should still worry about," he smirked.

* * *

As they were leaving the restaurant, everyone was talking so Robin didn't see the hulking shape of a man until he clamped a huge hand over his shoulder. Robin looked up, up, wa-a-ay up, and gaped.

"Chet," he blurted before he remembered he hadn't met the man as a boy.

Chet grinned at him. "Your sister told you about me," he commented, smugly.

"Uh, yeah, after Dad picked her up from the police station. She might have mentioned the man who had broken her nose and trashed a restaurant because he couldn't take no for an answer," Robin answered snidely.

He stepped back. Even though he had kept the inch in height he had gained as a girl, he was still pitifully tiny in comparison. But even Superboy was small when standing next to the giant. Robin figured that Chet would even top Batman's six foot, two inch height by four inches or more.

Chet rubbed a hand over his close-cropped hair, uncomfortably. He was apparently sober at the moment. "Uh, yeah. I wanted to apologize for that," he said.

Robin crossed his arms and frowned. "A little late for that. She left."

Chet blinked at that. "Did she? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt her," he told him. "I don't suppose you would be willing to tell me where she went, would you?"

Robin gaped. "Are you kidding me?"

Wally moved in to stand beside his friend while the rest of the team stood ready to pitch in at the slightest provocation. "She not interested in you, Chet."

Chet's face darkened as he turned his attention to Wally. "And she is interested in _you_?"

Robin waved his hands and stepped between the two. "She's not interested in either of you! Look, Chet, she took what you said to heart. Wally didn't deserve her, but then she decided that neither did any other guy. So she turned to the only male she knew of that _did_ deserve her."

Every single head turned to stare at Robin; all interested to learn the identity of the man that girl Robin decided deserved her devotion.

He sighed. "She left to join a convent," Robin told him completely straight-faced.

Wally snorted and choked; coughing. Artemis took advantage in order to slap him on the back – hard.

"I'm . . . cough . . . Ouch! . . . cough . . . Okay, stop already!"

Chet, amazingly enough, looked suitably devastated.

"Oh," he finally said. Crestfallen, he patted Robin on the shoulder; nearly knocking the youth to his knees in the process. "Okay . . . But could you," he hesitated a moment before continuing. "Would you give her a message from me?"

Robin rubbed his shoulder gingerly; wincing a little. "Uh, yeah, sure, Chet. What do you want to tell her?"

"Just that . . ." His voice lowered. "Tell her that I love her and if she changes her mind . . ."

Robin gaped. "Uh . . . Okay, Chet. I-I'll tell her, but um . . . Just don't get your hopes up. She's not planning to come back."

Chet nodded, and sniffled. He wiped an eye with the back of his hand. "I bet you're a good brother," he declared, and suddenly picked Robin up like a child and hugged the boy til he squeaked.

Chet set him down before his friends jumped on him. He laughed. "You sounded just like her there. She squeaked in just that same way."

Chet opened the door to the pizza place and ducked his head to go in. He called over his shoulder before the door closed behind him. "Nice purse, by the way."

The teens stared at the retreating giant through the glass doors of the restaurant. Almost as one, they breathed out a sigh of relief. Artemis spun both boys around and threw her arms around them.

"Oh my God, he was huge! You two are lucky to be alive," she gasped.

"And he had two friends with him that were just as big," Kaldur added, shaking his head in amazement.

"Actually, Wally was the only one in danger of dying," Connor pointed out. "He wanted to marry Robin."

Robin started laughing, followed seconds later by Wally and then Artemis. Soon all of the teens were laughing.

"You are just lucky that you changed back," Wally pointed at Robin. "Otherwise, it might have been wedding bells for you."

"Definitely a near miss . . ." Robin agreed as his communicator chimed.

"Right. On our way," he said when he answered it. He met the curious gaze of his teammates. "Let's go! We've got a mission."

Wally held up three fingers. "I promise not to touch anymore strange machines."

Robin laughed. "Don't make promises that you can't keep, KF," he said as they skated back in the direction of the hidden bioship.

* * *

**REACTIONS? OPINIONS? COMMENTS?**

**The second MoD story will be out in another week or so. The prologue is_ almost_ identical to the one in this story. I tweaked the end of it to fit the new story, so don't skip it completely. It will have some humor in it, but it will definitely not be the comedy that this one is. If the next story goes dark, I will let it. **


End file.
